United Sugar Producers Federation Chairman Manuel Lamata on Friday, May 8, slammed the Sugar Council for being “adversarial”.
“They are desperate for a change of leadership, hoping they can place their own allies in the Sugar Board”, Lamata said in a press release.
Everybody knows the one dictating their so-called council has a personal agenda and will always be in opposition against this government because of their political alliance, Lamata added.
He also said it is insulting to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel to be asked that the DA needs to re-affirm his earlier pronouncements that no importation will happen until end of 2026 if there is no need to do in the hope that sugar prices will stabilize.
“If they cannot believe a public pronouncement of a Cabinet Secretary, that shows bad faith and sends a clear signal that they refuse to work with this administration,” Lamata said.
“It is quite ironic that they are asking the Secretary to reiterate his pronouncements and in the same breath, ask for his removal, along with the rest of the Sugar Board,” he said.
The actions of the Sugar Council comes as no surprise to the rest of the industry because “we are aware that this group are being led by spoiled brats who are determined to create chaos if they do not get their way”, Lamata said.
Lamata further said that the divide the Sugar Council has created in the sugar industry is to be blamed why the industry is not being taken seriously because instead of acting in a unified manner, “they have been adversarial from Day 1 against this administration, and we all know why”.*
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