Farm workers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, and small sugarcane farmers in Negros on Monday, July 27, called on government to ensure that post-SONA economic recovery reaches rural communities, citing persistent poverty, unemployment, and widespread hunger.
Speaking in the wake of the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), Joel Pasigado, chairperson of the Tib-ng Obreros Federation, said rural residents have yet to experience meaningful improvements in their daily lives as sugar-dependent communities grapple with overlapping crises.
Pasigado noted that these challenges include the spread of the Red Stripe Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), rising production costs, unstable sugar prices, the climate crisis, and the annual tiempo muerto (dead season), during which sugar workers lose their primary source of income and face severe food insecurity.
Stressing that sugar workers face limited alternative employment and growing hunger, Pasigado highlighted the urgent need to prioritize labor welfare alongside agricultural recovery.
Pasigado emphasized that genuine economic recovery must be rooted in transparent, accountable, and people-centered governance, calling for public funds for agriculture, rural development, and social protection to directly reach small farmers and workers without leakage, corruption, or political patronage.
He pushed for stronger democratic participation, insisting that small farmers and sugar workers must be consulted on decisions affecting the sugar industry to ensure policies reflect real conditions on the ground.
To address the immediate crisis, the group called on the national government, relevant agencies, and local government units in Negros to rapidly deploy targeted RSSI control operations while delivering farm inputs, technical support, and rehabilitation assistance.
They also demanded a nationwide emergency response for tiempo muerto that includes food aid, nutrition support, and guaranteed emergency employment for displaced workers.
Additionally, they urged full transparency and strict anti-corruption safeguards—including public monitoring of fund distribution—for social protection and agricultural assistance programs such as AICS, AKAP, ECT, Cash for Work, and UPLIFT.
The group also advocated for long-term reforms that prioritize small farmers and sugar workers in national economic planning to stabilize the industry and secure sustainable rural livelihoods.
Pasigado warned that failure to promptly address these concerns will lead to consequences extending far beyond declining sugar production.
The situation in Negros requires immediate, transparent, and decisive action, Pasigado said, emphasizing that economic recovery will only be meaningful if it reaches the workers who cultivate the land and sustain the country’s rural economy.*
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