By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
AMIDST the current mess in the sugar industry, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) acting administrator David John Thaddeus Alba announced recently that the agency will have a P1-billion budget next year. It’s a significant hike from this year’s P712.2 million. Hence, it sounds so good to the ears of the industry players.
Such an upturn, Alba furthered, can be used for research and development programs and support services for small farmers, especially for block farms.
“Nope!” retorted Noli Rosales, spokesman of BAYAN, a progressive group in Negros for the advancement and welfare of farm workers. Rather, he likened such to a “pie in the sky” for hacienda laborers.
Reality-wise, Rosales stressed, the more than 300,000 laborers in Negros Occidental remain makalolo-oy, especially during tiempo muerto from June to September.
And the saddest of all, he pointed out, despite the sugar price hike Negros’ laborers are “nailed” in “dire situation” still.
“Bisan ayuda na lang gani halin sa gobyerno, wala gid may natilawan ang mga mamumugon sa kampo. Ti, gutom gihapon sa hacienda,” he said.
This was the very reason why on Aug. 25 Rosales’ group marched on the streets of Bacolod, begged for food, and expressed their “angst” against the government’s “ineptitude” to address their very need: food!
Too, Rosales lamented that the spotlight was only focused on the controversy hounding Sugar Order No. 4. But he’s sure that “it’ll only result to nothing.” Just a “drama”, he termed.
‘COMIC IRONY’
Furthermore, Rosales said the series of sugar-related events in Negros and Bacolod last month proved to be “impertinent” among hacienda laborers.
The 68th Philippine Sugar Technology (PHILSUTECH) Convention and Rum Festival, he said, were just a “showcase of extravagance”, telling people that there’s still “super profit” in the sugar industry. But these events neither recognized nor remembered the sugar workers’ hard work and perseverance to produce sugar.
“Tani, dumdumon nila nga indi sila makaganar sang daku sa industriya sang kalamay kun indi tungod sa paghimakas sang mga mamumugon sa kampo,” Rosales underscored.
“Sila nagakalipay pero, ang mga tawo nga nagabaka-baka para makaprodusar sang kalamay, padayun nga nagabakho…ginagutom,” he added.
A little rewind: Lucio Tan III, president and chief operating officer of Tanduay Distillers, Inc., in a press conference said the week-long Rum Festival in Bacolod (Aug. 12-20, 2022) was a homage to the crop (sugarcane) of Negros Occidental that produced the best raw materials for rum-making.
He added the province is likewise the source of the world’s number one rum – Tanduay – per the Drinks International Magazine (DIM).
But the “comic irony” is, none of the events in this rum festivity gave due recognition to the hacienda laborers – the men and women who literally invest “sweat and blood” just to produce sugar and rum.
Thus, Rosales articulated, “Sa likod sang ila pagsinadya, mga konsyerto, eat-all-you-can, etcetera, nagayuhom…Pero ang kamatuuran, ang mga mamumugon sa kampo nagapisngo gihapon sa kapigaduhon.”
‘TRAGIC IRONY’
But here’s also the so-called “tragic or dramatic irony”: the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA).
SIDA, per research, is the declared policy of the State to promote the competitiveness of the sugar industry, and maximize the utilization of sugar resources, and improve the incomes of farmers and farm workers, through improved productivity, product diversification, job generation, and increased efficiency of sugar mills. And since 2015 to 2021, the government allots P2-billion every year for SIDA.
But what happened to the hacienda laborers? Did their lives improve?
“A big NO,” countered Rosales, adding, “Mantiner man gihapon sa pakyaw system ang mga taga-hacienda sa tag-P1,800 lang ang kada-hektariya. Kon partidahon kag sumahon, kon kaisa, ang ganar sang kada-tawo P80 na lang sa bilog nga adlaw.”
But Alba, in a press release, said he’s upbeat that the P2-billion budget for SIDA will be released next year. He believes this will ensure the much-needed help for the industry.
“Wala man na gyapon tupa. Sa ila nga mga taga-SRA, huo. Pero, sa mga mamumugon sa kampo, duda lang ko,” Rosales voiced.
FAR FROM ‘AT PAR’
Meanwhile, unimaginable that amid fuss in the sugar industry, politicians are always heard saying, “for the sake of our farm workers.’ But if we dissect Rosales’ “tell-all” pronouncement, one can say that everything they (politicos) say about sugar industry and the farm workers is just “lip service”. Pathetic!
Just imagine that for seven years now, government via SIDA is pouring and pouring and pouring billions of pesos for the sugar industry every year. The very purpose: Improve the industry to also improve the lives of the hacienda workers. But real scenario is still far from “at par”.
With the current status of the farm workers, especially here in Negros, it’s crystal clear that the billions of pesos were just “gone with the wind”. Computation-wise, a total of P14 billion were already poured for the sugar industry. Worse, the country remains dependent on sugar importation still. Thus, nothing bright neither new under the sun!
No one yet from the SRA can claim “greatness” for laborers’ sake. Rather, Rosales said: “Ang mamumugon sa kampo, naga-imol na lang nga naga-imol.”/PN
