• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Thousands of farmers in Southern Negros are urging Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez to take immediate action on the long-delayed revival of the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill project, which local leaders describe as vital to economic recovery and peacebuilding in the insurgency-affected CHICKS area.
In a letter dated May 10, retired fiscal Rolando L. Parpa, chairman of the Dacongcogon Cooperative, appealed to Benitez – who also serves as Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) — to convene the RTF-ELCAC Negros Island Region Full Council for the deliberation and implementation of a resolution supporting the project’s revival.
The call came after the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Region 6 Full Council issued Resolution No. 03, Series of 2026 on February 12, 2026, endorsing the revival of the sugar mill as a “strategic socio-economic intervention” aimed at promoting peace, economic recovery, and development in Negros Island’s hinterland communities.
The resolution stemmed from directives earlier issued by then National Task Force-ELCAC Vice Chairman and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, as well as recommendations from the Office of the Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Ombudsman.
In a statement, Parpa said nearly 10,000 farmers have long awaited government action on what he described as a “masses-based social project” that could help restore both the local economy and public trust in government institutions.
“The revival of the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill will not only improve the lives of farmers and their families but will also preserve and restore the trust and confidence of the people in government,” he added.
He noted that many communities in the Southern Negros CHICKS area have long struggled with poverty and insurgency. Several towns in the region have previously been declared “poverty-stricken” and “insurgency-stricken” by provincial authorities.
The renewed appeal comes amid continuing violence in parts of Negros Occidental, including a series of armed encounters between government forces and remnants of the New People’s Army in Brgy. Salamanca, Toboso, barangays of Caliling, Masaling, Abaca, and Poblacion in Cauayan town, and liquidation of a farmer by suspected rebels in Brgy. Manlocahoc, Sipalay City.
As debates continue over responsibility for the recent violence, supporters of the sugar mill project insist that addressing poverty and economic marginalization remains key to achieving long-term peace in the region, Parpa said.
Advocates argue that fast-tracking the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill revival aligns with Executive Order No. 70, signed on December 4, 2018, which institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach to ending local communist armed conflict.
They believe the project could provide employment, stimulate agricultural production, and counter perceptions of government neglect in vulnerable rural communities.
“For the people in the hinterland areas, economic opportunity is the better answer,” Parpa stressed, adding that genuine development efforts could help address the root causes of insurgency and social unrest.*
