Facade of the SRA building in Quezon City. (Image from SRA website)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Wednesday he will re-organize the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and will hold negotiations with industry players and millers amid issues of sugar shortage in the country.
Marcos said the reorganization of the SRA will happen within the week.
“We are going to reorganize SRA and as soon as that’s done… that should be done this week,” Marcos said at the sidelines of the PinasLakas vaccination campaign in Manila.
Once the SRA is reorganized, Marcos said he will then meet with industrial sugar consumers, planters, millers, and sugar suppliers.
Kung ano yung available, mailabas na sa merkado. Yung kulang, kunin na natin. Mag-import na tayo,” Marcos said.
“Unfortunately, it is the same situation in all the agricultural commodities in the Philippines. Ayaw natin mag-import hanggang maaari, ngunit hindi sapat ang production natin,” he added.
To recall, Marcos earlier said the Philippines may import sugar around October should supply in the country drop. However, the President stressed that the volume to be imported will be smaller than the proposed 300,000 metric tons of sugar that he had earlier rejected.
Meanwhile, Marcos said he will leave the investigation on the case of Sugar Order No. 4 to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Sugar Order No. 4 supposedly authorized the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. The order, which was uploaded on the SRA website, showed then-Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian signing on behalf of Marcos.
However, the Palace denied having anything to do with the document, saying Marcos rejected the proposal to import more sugar.