Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez administers the oath of SRA Board Member Aurelio Valderrama, Jr., left, representing the planters at the BCGC Saturday. *Archie Rey Alipalo photo
Negrense Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., the newly-installed board member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, vowed to work towards the unification of a common goal and set aside political and personal agenda for the survival of the industry.
“I will talk to every planter, find out what their concerns are. My dream and my prayer is that we can unify and have one common agenda,” said Valderrama, SRA board member representing the planters, after taking his oath before Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Bacolod City Government Center on Saturday, August 7.
Valderrama, president of the VICMICO Planters Association Inc. and current director of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc., was named acting Sugar Board member by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. late last week.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Aurelio Valderrama with the directors of CONFED, VICMICO Planters Association Inc., VICMICO Planters MPC and VICMICO Farmers MPC.*Archie Rey Alipalo photo
Marcos is also the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
Valderrama, in an interview at the sidelines of his oath-taking, noted that one of the weaknesses of the sugar industry is that “we could not get our acts together”.
“I hope we can talk to everyone and see what we can do to unify the different aggrupations,” he said.
“We have to work towards the protection of small sugar producers, who are mostly agrarian reform beneficiaries”, he added.
“We need to work for the interest of the greater majority in the sugar industry,” Valderrama added.
He said that the bigger challenges facing the industry today are the rising
cost of production primarily triggered by the spiraling prices of fertilizer and fuel cost.
To solve this pressing issue, the President earlier said he will explore government-to- government purchase of fertilizers to bring the prices down.
The shortage of sugar supply in the country today, he said, is another challenge but expressed confidence that the DA under Marcos and the SRA will be able to address the problem in the next two weeks.
Aurelio Valderrama, fifth from left, was joined at the BCGC ceremonies by his daughter- in-law Denise Jalandoni , son JD, and grandson Franco, wife Marie Rose, Mayor Benitez, daughter Camille and son-in-law Ronald Zayco (l-r).* Archie Rey Alipalo photo
Joining Valderrama at his oath-taking over the weekend at the BCGC were his wife Marie Rose and children JD and Camille and their families as well as the board of directors of CONFED, VICMICO PAI, VICMICO Planters Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the VMC Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
CONFED president Raymond Montinola said on Friday, August 5, that their group along with the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, Panay Federation and the Philippine Sugar Millers Association have recommended the retention of Hermenegildo Serafica as SRA administrator.
He said for the Sugar Board had also recommended the appointment of Butch Alisla as miller’s representative and Valderrama for the planters.*