The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations yesterday alerted its members to the possibility that the Sugar Board may grant Administrator James Ledesma a standby authority to declare as much as 40 percent of expected production as "C" or reserved sugar.

"We are not sure of it. But we have heard reports that the Sugar Board is deliberating on how much of next year's total production will actually be declared as reserved sugar," national president Reynaldo Bantug said at the emergency meeting of the Executive Committee yesterday. The "C" or served sugar aims to decongest the local domestic market during the peak of the milling season. This is intended to ease the pressure on millgate prices, Bantug and Federico Locsin, Negros-Panay chapter acting chair, said.

Solon to teachers: File petition for
additional wages, benefits

Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th district) is filing a bill to upgrade the existing salary grade of public school teachers in the elementary and secondary schools from Grade 10 to Grade 20, a press release from his office said yesterday.

Arroyo said the low salary in public schools results in the exodus of teachers who seek greener pastures abroad.

At present, a public school teacher with a salary grade of 10 is receiving a monthly salary of P9,939, while those with a salary grade of 20 have a take home pay of P17,799 per month, the press release said.

Rationalization of NEDA on

The National Economic and Development Authority has conducted a Management Forum that tackled issues and concerns and possible gaps and overlaps in its ongoing rationalization program.

NEDA Director General Augusto Santos said in a press release that the agency is exploring all possible means to ensure that its goal of serving the public better and protecting its employees' welfare at the same time is achieved.

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