“We should support the sugar industry and we should help the sugar workers. Our sugar industry should prosper and sugar workers should get more support, benefits and privileges.”
This was stressed by gubernatorial aspirant, lawyer John N. Orola Jr., in his message during the Memorial Day celebration of Atty. Zoilo V. De La Cruz, father of the 13th Month Pay, at the Zoilo De la Cruz Development Center for Sugar Workers DOLE Compound at Cottage Road, Bacolod City, Wednesday, December 15.
“If our sugar workers need help, we’ve got to help especially in times of ‘Tiempo Muertos’ there should be an alternative opportunity to be given to the sugar workers”, Orola said in a press release.
Orola, in his message, highlighted a few points of his advocacy not only for the sugar workers but for other industries that are beneficial for the people of Negros Occidental.
“My advocacy is to create more opportunities for the people of Negros, opportunities that is not only relying solely on the sugar industry. We do not compete with the sugar industry but we could compliment it with other industries such as tourism, maritime or shipbuilding,” he said.
“We can develop more opportunities to invite more people to come in and to bring us more revenue for workers, beneficial to the agricultural workers too”, Orola said.
Orola cited the importance of having a port in the north and the south of Negros “for us to become progressive like our neighboring Asean countries and for us to develop exports of our products”.
He said when he was congressman, he was one of those who questioned and made the resolution to study the enhancement fund of the sugar industry for it to be used in the modernization of the sugar mills to help the sugar workers.
“I have my own story to tell and this story of mine is deeply rooted because I am a Negrense and I can always make a difference in whatever I do”, Orola added.
The event was organized by the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry Philippines (NACUSIP), Philippine Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial Workers Union (PACIWU) together with the officers and members of different organizations of the sugar industry, the press release said.
Local Unions that participated in the said event are Hawaiian Philippine Sugar Workers Union-NACUSIP, FLO BISCOM NACUSIP Chapter (Binalbagan), FEELCU NACUSIP First Farmers Holding Corp. (Talisay City), Riverside Medical Center Chapter – PACIWU, Vallacar Transit Employees Chapter – PACIWU, URSUMCO Supervisors’ Union-CIO (Bais City Negros Oriental, Victorias Milling Company Employees Union – NACUSIP, Hacienda Tinihaban NACUSIP Chapter (E.B Magalona), Hacienda Javellanos Union Chapter NACUSIP (Murcia), Hacienda Oliva-1 Union Chapter-NACUSIP (Murcia), Hacienda Oliva-2 Union Chapter-NACUSIP (Murcia), Hacienda Josefa-1 Union Chapter-NACUSIP (Murcia), and Hacienda Cristona Union Chapter- NACUSIP (Murcia), its added.*