Incumbent officers of the Confederation of Sugarcane Producers Association, Inc. (CONFED) were unanimously re-elected during the annual membership meeting and election of officers held in Manila on September 18, 2024.
Re-elected were Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. of The Sugar Association (TSA) as president; Wilfredo Y. Sawit of Central Azucarera de Tarlac Planters Association (CATPA) as vice president for Luzon; Alfonso F. Gamboa of Associated Planters of Silay-Saravia (APSSI) as vice president for Visayas; Pablo M. Lorenzo III of Associated Bukidnon Sugarcane Farmers (ABSSFI) as vice president for Mindanao; Maria Regina B. Martin of Asociacion de Hacenderos de Silay y Saravia (AHSSI) as board secretary; and Nicolas P. Ledesma Jr. of First Farmers Association as treasurer.
At the same gathering, and in anticipation of CONFED’s upcoming 40th anniversary, two former CONFED presidents were honored with the Homobono C. Sawit Presidential Award of Leadership.
The awardees, Bernardo C. Trebol and Jose Maria B. Montinola, were recognized for their contributions to the sugar industry, particularly in advocating for the rights and dignity of sugarcane producers.
The awards ceremony was witnessed by members of the awardees’ families.
Both recipients were lauded for their commitment to the welfare of the Philippine sugar industry and for upholding CONFED’s objectives.
Tina Montinola Monfort, daughter of Jose Maria Montinola, expressed her gratitude on social media, highlighting CONFED’s shared vision of the sugar industry, which she said is marked by “a deep sense of fairness, concern for others, and values that resonate deeply, closest to our hearts and home.”
The late Homobono C. Sawit, for whom the leadership award is named, was CONFED’s charter president when the federation was established on February 15, 1985.
