Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez called on the sugar industry stakeholders on Thursday, August 11, to unite and work for the common good.
Lacson, when asked for his comment on the call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to revoke the appointment of Aurelio Valderrama Jr. as planter representative on the Sugar Board, said “I don’t think we have to continue talking about this”.
“Mr. Valderrama has already made an open letter and recognizes the authority of the president and he is at the disposal of the president,” Lacson said.
The governor said it is not good to say that there is now a brewing disagreement between sugar groups in Negros Occidental.
“We should be united, we should be solid for the sugar industry,” he said.
Lacson said they are very thankful that the president denied the importation of 300,000MT of sugar. Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer played a part in this in his new assignment as personal adviser of the president, he added.
The move of the president emphasizes unity, which he has been calling for since the campaign, Lacson said.
Benitez said he did not know the background of Valderrama when he was asked to administer his oath of office as Sugar Board member.
Valderrama is a Negrense appointed by the president so he administered his oath, he did not see anything wrong with doing so, Benitez said.
Benitez said he only learned the next day that the vice governor had an issue on Valderrama’s appointment when he posted his position on social media.
The vice governor informed him that had been provoked to call for the revocation of the appointment of Valderrama, Benitez said.
Benitez said Valderrama also called him and “I said please sort it out, can you talk to the vice governor and find out how we can move pass this”,
“We’re all Negrenses here, let us try to move forward and work for the common good,” Benitez said.
Benitez said he is leaving the choice on the SRA administrator and the sugar board members “up to the wisdom of the president to decide.*