Urgently needed, a Sugar Act

We had a very fruitful discussion over television program "Feedback" at Sunshine Channel Thursday afternoon with former Gov. Daniel Lacson and former Assemblyman Jimmy Golez on the sugar industry.

Both are very personally involved in sugar farming.

Both Bitay and Jimmy brought up the question that if the industry is facing problem it is because it has no laws to govern its operation and decisions depend on one man or a group of a few with their own personal interests to protect.

They cited that countries with better run sugar industry have their own laws, they call their Sugar Act.

Thailand whose sugar people studied, learned, and trained here has an efficient sugar industry and is one of the world's big exporters. It has its Sugar Act. Australia too.

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Last night from 9 to 10 with my usual co-host NPC director Annie Calderon, we interviewed in the same program SRA Administrator James Ledesma.

We expected we would be swamped with televiewers' calls, considering a hot issue. We told James to expect this which will be good for him.

We will bring up the issue of Sugar Act.

Barring a more important issue, we plan to devote Feedback to sugar issues. This is sponsored by the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters as a public service and we can take all sides to the issue.

We will do it live every Friday 7 to 8 starting next week with replay on Sundays and Thursdays. In 1974 to 1986 Feedback was always on a Friday, over Channel 10.

It was quite a popular program. We plan to make it popular again. And the secret is get controversial issues with audience participation.

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Yesterday afternoon Senator Edgardo Angara also held a press conference at NFSP. He was the guest of NFSP President Nene Rojas.

We planned to ask Sen. Angara to help the sugar industry sponsor the Philippine Sugar Act in the Senate.

All in the sugar industry must help.

If we all come out in a massive, strong and loud voice to ask for a Sugar Act, I don't see any reason we cannot make it.

I was wondering that Thursday night when Bitay and Jimmy brought this up why the Sugar Alliance composed of the industry's sugar leaders did not bring this up.

I know this is difficult. If there is a Sugar Act, this will reduce the executive power, particularly SRA and above that Malacañang the decision whether to import or not to import, to convert or not to convert sugar from one class to another.

This is a tool to control the price structure but has been eyed by the producers' group with some suspicions of irregularities.

This may not be true. But it is better that there is no more reason to suspect.

If Malacañang does not agree and does not certify it as urgent, then the idea will go to naught. But if all in the industry unite to have it pushed through, I can see no reason why we cannot have a Sugar Act.

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The Sugar Act will not be for a particular individual or group. It will be for the country, to put into actual practice what it says in the SRA Act that it must have a pricing system where producers will not lose and the consumers are not disadvantaged. Only a law can do this without people questioning it. If they do, then amend it.

Like the U.S. Sugar Act, the Australian Sugar Act, the Thailand Sugar Act, there will be established mechanisms to address problems that arise. The Act will govern the operation of the industry.

If we have a Sugar Act, we would have not had the problems we have now with James Ledesma at the receiving end. The problem is many of our sugar planters kept on texting me against Ledesma but are afraid to give me their names.

Why are they afraid to come out? Some give their names but I know it's fictitious. Bacolod and Negros Occidental are small, so that if you mention a planter's name I know if it's real or not.

Why be afraid to disagree with James Ledesma? This is a free country. One who said his initials were AZL said, he was ashamed to be a Ledesma because of the "stupid" decisions of James. When I asked him for his full name, he said, he would come out at the right time. When is the right time?

How can you people get the respect of James Ledesma? The other day I saw Nene Rojas calling up James to complain. And James listened.

He may have his faults, but James is open-minded.

Let us have a Sugar Act. I believe James Ledesma will agree to that. If he does not agree, then that's the best time to disagree with him.

When Ledesma sits there as SRA administrator, he must forget he is to protect the interest of the planters alone. That's a very narrow-minded, myopic view. He is there for the country. Do you want a politician from outside Negros to sit there?*

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