Stakeholders are running out of time to push amendments to the Sugar Industry Development Act, former Negros Occidental governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela said during a congressional hearing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Wednesday, February 25.
Coscolluela, who represented the Confederation of Sugar Producers’ Associations, said revisions are needed to strengthen regulation and ensure long-term support for the sugar industry.
He said that this proposal must be approved in the first half of the year as Congress might have other focus in the last six months of 2026.
The proposed amendments seek to expand the powers of the Sugar Regulatory Administration to monitor and regulate the entry of sugar substitutes such as high-fructose corn syrup and other artificial sweeteners.
Coscolluela said the proposal also includes establishing a sugar supply monitoring system from farm to retail to improve oversight of production and distribution.
The amendments also aim to increase the annual SIDA budget from P2 billion to P5 billion, he said.
The proposed budget increase is intended to fund farm productivity, mill efficiency upgrades, infrastructure, research and development, human resource development, and market access programs in sugar-producing areas, Coscolluela said.
Lawmakers, including Negros Occidental representative Javier Miguel Benitez (3rd District), Emilio “Dino” Yulo (6th District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District) and Manuel Frederick Ko (Abang Lingkod), attended the hearing.
The House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing also tackled the declining price of sugar and its impact on sugar producers and workers.*
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