• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Sugar industry stakeholders rallied behind proposed amendments to the Sugar Industry Development Act of 2015, pushed by lawmakers in Congress, which advocate additional safeguards to protect the industry.
Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez filed House Bill No. 9008, known as the TUBO (Tunay na Ugnayan Buhay at Oportunidad sa Asukal) Act of 2026, which aims to strengthen the sugar industry by expanding the mandate and composition of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, rationalizing the allocation of the Sugar Industry Development Fund, and institutionalizing systems for trade remedies and climate adaptation.
Senate deputy majority leader Juan Victor Ejercito also filed a similar bill, with provisions including a proposal to increase its annual funding from P2 billion to P5 billion, to boost productivity and modernize farms.
Encouraged by the overwhelming support for its recent manifesto by ninety-three sugar industry leaders from all over the country, the Sugar Council, which rallies stakeholders to unite behind the amendments of SIDA 2015, said the TUBO Act of 2026 is seen as a way forward for the sugarcane industry in the wake of the current injurious crisis.
We want a brand of unity that is not only lip-service, but unity that actually brings advantages to the vast majority, the Sugar Council said in a statement.
The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry in the Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) also expressed its support to amend SIDA 2015.
NACUSIP-TUCP president Roland de la Cruz lauded Rep. Benitez for having the courage to stand up and file House Bill 9088, the much-needed amendment to the SIDA that could spell hope for the struggling industry.
The TUBO Act also proposes restructuring the SRA governing board to make it more representative, adding members from millers, planters, refiners, agrarian reform beneficiaries, workers, and industrial users.*
