BACOLOD City – An official of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has underscored the need to set travel protocols for “sacadas” or migrant cane cutters in Western Visayas amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
SRA Board Member Emilio Yulo III, who sits as the planters’ representative, said on July 20 they have asked the assistance of the provincial governments of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Antique to facilitate the processing of the travel documents of the sacadas in time for the start of the milling season in September.
“There’s already an agreement between Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao. The sacadas are expected to start coming in (this province) by the first week of September,” Yulo said.
In a statement on Tuesday, meanwhile, the Confederation of Sugar Producers Negros-Panay (Confed NP) Chapter lauded the efforts of the two governors in providing safe travel mechanisms for the return of cane cutters to Negros Occidental.
“The ease of travel for our sacadas in coming back here will definitely ease our problems when the milling season opens this September,” said Confed NP chairman Nicolas Ledesma Jr.
The two governors have also coordinated with Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia for the issuance of provisional transit documents for the workers expected to arrive aboard vessels from Iloilo.
Lacson and Cadiao along with Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo have also agreed to start processing the travel documents for sacadas and to ensure that they are legally documented for monitoring purposes.
Aside from the “no ID, no entry” policy agreed by the governors, all cane cutters coming to Negros will also be required to present health certificates.
A list from Department of Labor and Employment showed that some 3,000 migrant cane cutters from Antique are working in sugarcane plantations in Negros.
According to Yulo, however, there are actually about 5,000 to 6,000 of them. This means that many migrant cane cutters are still undocumented.
The Antique provincial government is creating a system for the legal deployment of sacadas which will be processed by millers’ representatives until August 15.
Yulo said this will give the provincial government here sufficient time to prepare the certificates of acceptance for the workers.
“This has allayed fears among sugar producers who were worried that travel restrictions may be a problem if sacadas will not be allowed to come to Negros,” he added.
Negros Occidental – considered as the sugar bowl of the Philippines – produces about 60 percent of the country’s sugar output. (With a report from PNA/PN)
