Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene D. Brosas has referred to as out the federal government for greenlighting the importation of 440,000 metric tons of refined sugar as she argued that the transfer will solely “sabotage the local sugar industry.”
Brosas’ comment got here after the Sugar Regulatory Administration issued on Wednesday a duplicate of Sugar Order No. 6, which authorizes a contemporary spherical of importation sans the signature of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
READ: 440,000 MT sugar imports to reach in April
Brosas mentioned the federal government ought to have discovered concerning the “negative effects of over importation of agricultural products” on farmers when Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, signed the rice liberalization legislation in 2019, which eliminated authorities limits or quantitative restrictions on rice importation.
And but, Brosas famous, the Marcos administration is seemingly in search of “to sabotage the local sugar industry” by importing the huge quantity of sugar even with the opposition from native farmers.
READ: Sugar imports to harm small farmers, 2 agri teams warn
“This anti-farmer and anti-worker move will lead to massive loss of jobs and livelihood amid the economic crisis. Worse, it will not even control the ongoing decline in the country’s sugar production and increasing prices of sugar in the market,” she mentioned in an announcement.
The lawmaker then cited the Central Azucarera Don Pedro Inc. (CADPI), the second largest azucarera in Luzon, which was pressured to close down attributable to operational and monetary challenges.
“The most effective solution to this issue is for the government to provide subsidies for the operations of local sugarcane planters. President Marcos Jr. must veer away from his addiction to importation and subsidize fuel and fertilizers which has been rising for many years,” she added.
Brosas had earlier filed a House decision, in search of the conduct of an inquiry into the closure of CADPI and its results on sugar staff and farmers in Batangas.
Last yr, a controversial sugar import order, signed by Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian supposedly on behalf of Marcos, positioned him and a number of other ex-officials of the SRA in a troublesome spot.
A probe performed by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee yielded suggestions for prices to be filed towards the implicated officers earlier than the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Office of the President, nevertheless, dismissed the case lodged towards them. Sebastian was even granted the prospect to return to the DA to guide its rice trade and improvement initiatives. — with reviews from Mae Anne F. Bilolo, INQUIRER.internet intern
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