Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3 rd District) yesterday said he is still hopeful that his proposed Sugarcane Industry Development Act will pass before the 15 th Congress adjourns in February.

As long as there are working days remaining in Congress, there is hope, he said.

Senatorial candidate Juan Miguel Zubiri had earlier said there is not enough time for the current Congress to pass the Sugarcane Act because, after the holidays, there will only be about three weeks of work left.

He said the unlikely passage of the bill in the current Congress is not the fault of Benitez, the problem is that it has not been taken up in the Senate even at the committee level.

The bill is geared towards revitalizing and strengthening the sugarcane industry through diversification, development and financing programs to cushion, if not counter, the possible destabilization effects of the lifting of tariffs on imported sugar by 2015, Benitez said earlier.

Benitez said the bill is with the House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong (Neg. Or., 1 st District), who has calendared it for hearing early next year.

He is hopeful the bill will pass on third and final reading in the House before Congress adjourns in February, Benitez said.

The problem in the Senate is that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is dealing with some political maneuverings that have to be addressed first before the proposed Sugarcane Act is tackled.

A counterpart bill to his Sugarcane Act was filed in the Senate by Senator Francis Escudero, which is pending before the Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Senator Francis Pangilinan.

Benitez said he intends to meet with Pangilinan to find out if the Sugarcane Act bill can be moved.

However, if the Senate fails to act on the bill before it adjourns but it passes on third reading in the Lower House, that will be good enough because it will mean easier passage in the 16 th Congress.*CPG

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