ZUBIRI SEEKS INVESTIGATION VS SRA: Senate President Juan Miguel 鈥淢igz鈥� F. Zubiri, in a privilege speech Monday, August 15, 2022, urges the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the recently exposed irregularities at the Sugar Regulatory Administration. Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva Espana
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Farmers and workers in the sugar industry have proposed solutions to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address shortages and price increases of the commodity.
On Wednesday night, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri shared that he led a delegation of stakeholders, including sugar workers, farmers, and millers, to meet with Marcos and discuss their plight.
鈥淭here were other initiatives recommended to the President to ease the increase of sugar prices, but we will let the President make the announcement at the proper time,鈥� Zubiri told reporters in a message.
鈥淲hat is important is that all the stakeholders came together to propose concrete short-term and long-term solutions to the sugar situation. Looking for the 鈥榮weet spot鈥� between producers and consumers,鈥� he added.
Zubiri said they expressed gratitude to Marcos for refusing the importation of too much sugar as it would affect hundreds of thousands of local farmers and farm workers across the country.
Marcos recently rejected the Sugar Regulatory Administration鈥檚 proposed importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.
Zubiri, however, noted that the country needs to import half of the proposed import, or 150,000 metric tons, for industrial and household consumers.
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