Sugar leaders and Negros Occidental officials yesterday agreed to create a task force to help mitigate the effects of an expected long “dead season” on the workers of the industry.

A consultation called by Board Member Enrique Miguel Lacson was attended by leaders of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and   the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, and Board Members Adolfo Mangao, Nehemias de la Cruz and Patrick Lacson at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.

“We agreed to create a task force and invite other sectors, including labor,” Enrique Lacson said.

We in the provincial government agreed to help in requesting the National Food Authority to sell rice to the federations at cheaper rates to aid workers during the dead season.

The participants at the consultation identified resources that can possibly be tapped, including the unclaimed Social Amelioration Funds, he said.

“We will have to talk to the Department of Labor about that,” Lacson said. “It was agreed that we will be united in this campaign,” he said, adding that another consultation meeting will be held with other agencies and sectors.

“The dead seasons in the sugar industry, when workers are out of work on the farms, usually last from three to four months, but with low  production this year it is expected to start early and last about five months,” he said.

“In the fifth district the dead season usually starts in April but this year it could start at the end of February or March,” he said.

“The sugar leaders said ever since before they have helped their workers during the dead season and they will support this move to come up with a plan for this year,” Lacson said. “The planters said the resources they usually set aside as assistance during the off season has been affected by the high cost of fuel and fertilizer for production last year,” he added.

“The provincial government has limited resources but it can help facilitate finding assistance,” Lacson said.*CPG

back to top