THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Western Visayas is set to release about P185 million to planters associations under the Binalbagan-Isabela Milling Company (Biscom) Milling District, its top official said.
This accounts for the three percent cash bonus workers' share as provided under Republic Act No. 809 or An Act to Regulate the Relations Among Persons Engaged in the Sugar Industry.
Dole-Western Visayas Regional Director Cyril Ticao, in a statement, said the amount will be released to five planters associations on or before August 21 this year.
These associations are Binalbagan-Isabela Planters' Association (Bipa), Independent Planters of Biscom (Ipobi), Planters Association of Southern Negros Inc. (Pason), Negros Consolidated Farmers Association (NEG-Cofa), and United Farmers Association of Negros South Inc. (Unifarms).
Ticao ordered the immediate release of the cash bonus in response to the call of various planters associations, recognizing the need to alleviate the plight of the workers amid the economic downturn brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
"We guarantee that we will fully release Biscom Milling District's labor share within next week, now that all associations have submitted their payrolls," he said, adding that the latest submission was last August 11.
The regional line agency pointed out that prior to the release of checks and distribution of the cash bonus, it entered a Trust Receipt Agreement with the planters associations.
This agreement sets several conditions such as the submission of previous crop year's proof of distribution and evidence of deposits of unclaimed cash bonuses.
The milling season for crop year 2018 to 2019 had ended in April last year, and the Dole already released the sugar quedans under RA 809 in August 2019, it added.
Dole-Negros Occidental head Mary Agnes Capigon, for her part, said the sharing scheme as provided under RA 809 has long been practiced in the Biscom Milling District for several years now.
"Our policies on this have never changed," she added
The RA 809 is an act that provides a graduated sharing scheme between the sugar mill and planters' associations in a certain milling district, in the absence of a written milling agreement, with workers getting the bigger share.
Earlier, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board Member Emilio Yulo III called on the labor department to immediately release such production share of sugar workers under the Biscom Milling District.
Yulo said the next milling season is about to start but the workers have not received their share yet from the last milling season.
Based on yearly produce, the amount is estimated at about P200 million, the SRA official said.
"This is usually given June or July to provide the workers with funds in time for school opening, he said, adding that "now that the school opening has been delayed to August, it does not mean that the Dole will release the funds later than usual."