President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the government is eyeing to revitalize the Philippine Sugar Corporation (PhilSuCor) to provide the country's sugar farmers and farmers groups with the necessary assistance as the Philippines worked on boosting the industry. *BOOSTING SUGAR INDUSTRY — President Marcos meets sugar industry stakeholders for the first time in Malacañang on May 18, 2023, to discuss ways to boost the industry. (Malacañang photo)*

Marcos said this following his first consultative meeting with sugar industry stakeholders in Malacañang on Wednesday, May 17. In an interview, the President said the meeting focused on concerns and measures that would boost the country's sugar production, as well as government plans to promote the development of the sugar industry. According to the Chief Executive, one of the suggestions that came up during the meeting was to revitalize the PhilSuCor. "It provides financing for farmers, especially for cooperatives and farmers' associations-- yung mga tinatawag na block (the ones we call blocks)," he said. Marcos, who also heads the Department of Agriculture (DA), said the previous administration tried to abolish the PhilSuCor in October 2018 due to its overlapping functions with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA). However, this did not push through. "Hindi na-abolish. Nandiyan pa sila kaya't bubuhayin natin (It wasn't abolish that's why we will revitalize it)," he said. "Titingnan natin kung ano yung mga pagbabago para makapag-adjust tayo dito sa sitwasyon natin ngayon and continue their work in providing assistance sa ating mga farmers, sa ating mga farmers groups (Let's see what changes we can make so we can adjust to our current situation and continue providing assistance to our farmers and farmers groups)," he added. PhilSucor was created under Presidential Decree No. 1890 in 1983 to finance the acquisition, rehabilitation, or expansion of sugar mills, refineries, and other facilities. Meanwhile, Marcos said there were also discussions on plans to strengthen the local sugar industry and identify sugar lands to increase acreage aimed at boosting production.

Importation

On the other hand, President Marcos said he discussed with the stakeholders the importation schedule for the approved [importation of 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/15/marcos-o-ks-additional-sugar-importation) and how to open up the importation to all traders. Despite this, Marcos assured the public that the government would prioritize the country's local production. "Unfortunately, mag-i-import pa rin tayo up to 150,000 MT, but baka kung maganda ang production natin, baka hindi na kailangan lahat yun (Unfotunately, we still have to import up to 150,000 MT of sugar but if our production turns out good, we might not need all of those)," he said. "In the end, we will still continue to favor in terms of buying local production over importation," he added. On Monday, the President approved the additional importation of up to 150,000 MT of sugar to stabilize the commodity's price and boost the country's stock. Among the officials present during the meeting were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Presidential Management Staff Senior Undersecretary Elaine Masukat, and SRA Acting Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona. Key sugar industry stakeholders who attended the meeting included Negros Occidental Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo and Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental Mayor Benjie Miranda. Other attendees were Manuel Lamata from the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED); Cornelio Toreja of Luzon Federation of Sugar Producers Inc. (LUZONFED); Petie Sumagaysay of Kabankalan-Ilog Planters Association (KABILOG PA); Lance Gokongwei of Universal Robina Corp.; and Gareth McGeown, representing the domestic traders of Coca-cola.