President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. has reconstituted the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB) with three new appointees, including acting Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator David John Thaddeus P. Alba.
Alba replaced former SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica who resigned after the chief executive rejected Sugar Order No. 4 signed by the former members of the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB).
In his capacity as secretary of the agriculture department, Marcos presides over the SRB.
Pablo Luis S. Azcona, who represents sugar planters, was appointed in place of Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. Maria Mitzi V. Mangwag was appointed to represent sugar millers in place of lawyer Roland Beltran, who resigned due to “health concerns.”
Executive Order No. 18 established the SRA, a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) attached to the DA, in 1986.
The SRA's mandate is to promote the growth and development of the sugar industry through increased and significant private sector participation, as well as to improve laborer working conditions.
To recall, the Malacañang recently disallowed SRB Resolution No. 4, which authorized the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar on top of what had already been imported in May 2022, which was signed on behalf of President Marcos and was later uploaded on the SRA website. It was later taken down.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles earlier called the issuance of the order “illegal.”
Malacañang is currently investigating the unauthorized signing of the order allowing the importation of sugar, the press secretary said.
On August 18, Malacañang confirmed the proposed importation of 150,000 metric tons of sugar to address the low supply situation in the country.