Thursday, October 02, 2008 Arroyo vows continued aid to sugar industry By By George de la Cruz and Merlinda Pedrosa
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assured sugar leaders and traders Wednesday that her administration would try to protect Negros Occidental’s sugar industry against the grave threats of globalization and the world crisis.
Speaking at the opening of the 29th MassKara Festival at the Bacolod City public plaza, Arroyo took note of the fact that the sugar industry is the lifeblood of the province’s economy. “We need food security stability and by protecting the sugar industry, the government would to able to solve the crisis.”
“Nagsugod ang Masskara Festival sadtong tunga-tunga sang dekada otsenta, sang nagkulob ang presyo sang kalamay. Ang mga taga-Negros, nagpangita sang higayon para magtilipon-tipon para nga mag-ulupod sa kabudlay. Sang wala pa ako sa pulitika, nagkari kami sa Masskara kay ang pamilya sang akong bana kaupod sa industriya sang kalamay kag may-ara balay sa Bacolod. Gani kabalo ko sang sitwasyon sang industriya,” she said in Ilongo.
“Gani, sang nagpungko ako nga Presidente sadtong tuig 2001, nagpaguwa ako sang mga order para sa kumprehensibo nga plano para luwason ang industriya sang kalamay, kaupod ang P278 milyon halin sa ACEF (Agricultural Competitiveness and Enhancement Fund) sang asukal.”
The President also assured local officials her administration will prioritize the listing of sugar as a highly sensitive commodity and to shield the industry against the impending full implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA).
Earlier, local planters lobbied for the transfer of raw and refined sugar from the Sensitive List (SL) to the Highly Sensitive List (HSL) of the Philippines under the ASEAN Free Trade Area-Common Effective Preferential Tariff (AFTA-CEPT) “to retain a level of tariff protection beyond 2010.”
“With 2009 just a few months away, the government must act swiftly; otherwise, we lose the gains we have attained in the sugar sector and face an imminent sugar crisis in the years to come,” they added.
Arroyo, on the other hand, stressed that the government is averting the effects of an economic slowdown brought about by the volatile global economic situation.
“This is a global phenomenon. These global forces are causing real difficulties for countries around the world. We have been working hard on all fronts to manage inflationary pressures, provide a safety net to those hit hardest by these global developments, and deliver the growth that will continue to generate jobs and the tax revenues we need to invest in our nation’s future.”
“Food stability and security is a major priority for the government. We have been working hard to make sure that food supplies remain stable and to put food on the table. We have increased and stabilized the supply of rice and delivered targeted subsidies to the poor; we have reached out to neighbors like Vietnam and others in ASEAN and elsewhere to ensure a stable supply and affordable prices,” she added.
“While the situation has been stable, we will not be complacent. We will continue to monitor the global situation.”
Meanwhile, the President said that “against the gale force winds of global economy, we remain bullish on Bacolod. We remain optimistic about your future.”
“The communist rebels used to impede the progress and development of a number of rural areas ug naga-martsa pa sa sentro sang Bacolod. They are responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses. (But) Bacolod will become a tourism and call center destination because we are succeeding in putting a stop to their ideological nonsense and their criminal acts,” she stressed.
Arroyo added: “Ang economic diversification amo ang ara sa likod sang pagbalik sa inyo pag-uswag. Kaupod ang Bacolod sa central Philippines, diin, siling ko sadtong State of the Nation Address, naga-prioritize kita sang imprastraktura. Kaupod naman ang Bacolod nga naka-agom sang benepisyo halin sa imprastraktura sang Cyber Corridor para sa ICT kag call center kag outsourcing.”
