By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – A labor leader has called on sugar industry leaders to consult with workers’ groups regarding pressing issues in the sugar industry.
“There should be widespread consultation on sugar-related issues, such as the use of artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, which directly impact workers,” said Wennie Sancho, secretary-general of the General Alliance of Workers’ Association.
Sancho lamented that “they hold meetings as if we don’t exist.”
He told Daily Guardian on Sunday that the challenges facing the sugar industry form a vicious cycle, ranging from the use of artificial sugar to importation issues and the timing of the milling season.
“Now, they want to increase the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) fund,” Sancho said, adding that while they support the demand to increase the budget, they also seek to ease bank requirements for loan support for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs).
Sancho criticized the exclusion of workers and their representatives from a recent House Committee on Agriculture and Food meeting, which addressed the restoration of the P2 billion SIDA budget.
“We were not invited. Workers should have representation,” he said.
Sancho further remarked that planters are struggling to coordinate their efforts because they are divided.
“The government’s failure to strengthen the agricultural sector exacerbates the situation. Unscrupulous sugar traders are getting rich at the expense of the workers,” Sancho claimed.
“When there are problems, they ask for our help. But when there’s profit, they forget us,” he quipped.
He emphasized that “the hands of the workers create the wealth of the nation. We are your partners—include us in the decision-making process.”
Sancho also pointed to issues within the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), criticizing its inconsistent policies. He urged the identification of planters and millers who also act as sugar traders to avoid conflicts of interest.
