• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Following the public consultation on the challenges facing the sugar industry, Negros Occidental 3rd district Representative Javier Miguel Benitez announced on Thursday that there will be an official congressional inquiry before end of February.
We have read the statements, listened to stakeholders, and engaged our farmers and workers on the ground, on the challenges facing the sugar industry. These concerns are clear, and they deserve a proper venue for discussion, Benitez said in a Facebook post.
Benitez further said that he is working closely with Rep. Mark Enverga, chairman of the House committee on Agriculture, on all necessary preparations to ensure the hearing is focused, constructive, and grounded in the reality of the industry.
This is about protecting our sugar farmers and workers, strengthening the industry, and advocating for coordinated, long-term solutions that also account for consumer realities, the solon said.
The recent sharp decline in domestic mill gate prices of sugar has been blamed on the over importation of sugar by some industry stakeholders. This drop has placed the local sugar industry in a crisis, as farmers struggle to cover production costs.
We will continue to listen, engage, and do the work from the district level to the national stage, Benitez said.
The 3rd district solon, along with Senator Francis Pangilinan, chairperson of the Senate committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, had earlier called for urgent structural reforms and stronger government support for the sugar industry amid falling prices, rising production costs, and mounting threats to farmers’ livelihoods.
As sponsor of the Department of Agriculture’s budget, Pangilinan reiterated his push for a P2-billion allocation for the SRA, though the agency was given only P1.02 billion for 2026 after the Department of Budget and Management flagged underutilization and absorptive capacity issues.*
