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DA hit for 'deafening silence'
on sugar Iiberalization plan
By LOUISE
MAUREEN SIMEON
_ Lawmakers are pressing the
uepartment of Agriculfure io
take a stand on [he planned
opening up of the sugar in-
dustry as the very igency
mandated to protect farmers
has yet to come up wi th a posi-
tron on the matter-
During the Senate hearins
on DA s National Expenditu ri
Program ior 2020, Sen. Iuan
Miguel Zubiri said there is
"deafening silence,, from the
DA and the Sugar Regulatory
Administration desoite the
plan of the countri.'s economic
team to ljberalizi sugar im-
portatlon.
"Er.erybody has sooken-
The stakeholders have s'ooken
But we need a strons voice.
You should so in th; fields
and show that-the qovernment
is there and not cieate policv
that will deshoy th em," Zubii
sairl during tfie hearing on
}\-ed nesd ay.
'"fhe DA should come out
THURSDAY I OCTOBER 'IO, 2019
strongly against imports. I
don'i think anv senalor here
will agree to a iollapse in any
ol our agriculture industries.',
he adde-d.
Agriculture Secretary Wil-
liam Dar has not given any
statement since the Deparf-
ment of Finance issueh an
economic bulletin ca.lline for
the removal of quantititive
restrictions on sugar imports.
"I already asked SRA to ihe drop in palay pricesbut
come up with a position to
outline the pros and cons of
the issue," bar said durfns
the hearing.
"We will be coming out
with a r€port, but I would like
the larmers to be Drotected as
well. This is a matter of oolicv
and we will tackle thiJ witfi
the board," SRA administrator
Hermenegildo Serafica added.
As part of the board, it was
orrly Dar and Serafica who did
not say anything agairrst the
liberalization. Board members
Emilio Yulo and Roland Bel-
tran already made their stand.
"Those who are pushing
for liberalization are driven table a reformulated measure
by their greed to amass more where we doh't need to liber-
wealth at the expense of the alize sugar importatior! but
sugarcane farmers. This is very
everyone will be happy. We
very wrohg becaube the StatL
need to protect farmers from
is supposed to spread oui the starvation and uplift them
economic apportunity to ev-
trom poverty. Importation is
eryone rich and poor alike,,, not the answer," Zubiri said
Beltran said- "We cannot be business as
"lVe have seen it in the rice usual in our dealings. We have
sector. The DOF parroted that to reformulate and recalibrate
'inflation
as tre *s'wer
to now on our position. We will
is present to them an out-of-the-
more than wliat tliev actuallv box solution that does not
predicted. Thev shojd focur oi,
,need unabated importatiory"
solving that firsg" Yulo added. he said
Further, Zubiri plans to At least 24 lawmakers re-
set up a meeting with key cently signed House Resolu-
economic officials' including tion 412 to express strong
Finance chief Carlos Domin] opposition to the planned
guez, National Economic and liberalization of sugar impor-
Development Authority direc- tation. Zubiri also objected to
torgeneral Emesto Pemia and the measure.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez Even Villac chair of the
to discuss the matter Senate Committee on Ag-
Also part of the meetinq riculture and food. alreadv
would be Dar, Serafica, Seri said she is not in'favor o'f
Cynthia Villar and even Ex- opening up the sugar indus-
ecutive Secretarv Salvador try. Villar was the sponsor
Medialdea. and principal author of the
"We need to put io the Rice Tariffication Law.
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