The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines–Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) on Thursday, March 19, said it stands firmly with Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) in denouncing the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for its “campaign of misinformation and baseless blame-shifting.”
Benitez on Wednesday, March 18, denied claims circulating online that a congressional hearing triggered the decline in sugar prices, saying the market downturn was caused by oversupply and policy decisions, not legislative oversight.
He described the allegations as baseless and irresponsible, noting that the accusations allegedly originated from within the SRA.
“Rather than answer for the oversupply it authorized, the SRA would rather point the finger at the institution that chose to investigate it,” Benitez said.
The NACUSIP-TUCP, together with allied workers’ and agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations, supports the position of Benitez, its president Roland C. de la Cruz said in a press statement.
“For the nth time, we demand the immediate release of the official minutes of Sugar Order No. 8, Series of 2024–2025. The SRA’s secrecy is a betrayal of the farmers and workers who keep this industry alive. Transparency is non-negotiable,” de la Cruz said.
De la Cruz said NACUSIP reiterates its call for the resignation of SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, as well as Sugar Board members David Sanson and Mitzi Mangwag.
“Their continued presence on the Sugar Board has fueled poverty and injustice among small farm tillers and agrarian reform beneficiaries. They must pack their bags and leave SRA,” de la Cruz said.
“The sugar industry belongs to the workers in the fields and the farmers who till the land—not to bureaucrats who hide behind closed doors. NACUSIP-TUCP and its allies will not relent until the sugar sector is led by those who are accountable, transparent, and committed to justice for farmers, workers, and consumers,” he added.
“The time for secrecy is over. The time for justice is now,” de la Cruz said.
Azcona could not be reached for comment.*
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