THE 65th Annual National Convention of the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association (Philsutech) opened Wednesday, August 15, at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City with the theme “Philsutech: Celebrating 65 Years of Service to the Sugarcane Industry.”
The convention, which will run until Friday, gathers all industry stakeholders in the country to learn about the latest technological advances and updates.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara will be the keynote speaker, while Sugar Regulatory Administrator (SRA) Herminigildo Serafica will also address the assembly.
Angara is expected to expound on the legislation and national policies which impact on the industry while Serafica will present the status of sugar production and the outlook for the next milling season.
on Thursday, August 16, Senator Cynthia Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, and Senate Majority Floor Leader Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, an avowed champion of the sugarcane industry, will be the guest speakers.
On Tuesday, August 14, SRA Board Member Emilio Yulo III was the guest speaker during the opening of the product exhibits.
“Countless challenges we have faced. But if adversity is a trademark of the sugar industry, resiliency is its most enduring hallmark. And the ability to bounce back is a distinguishing quality of the industry,” Yulo said.
For the industry to be more competitive amid local and global challenges, all stakeholders have to work together, for Philsutech to act as the conduit to enable both the producers and the millers to become more efficient, and for all the stakeholders to join hands to ensure more favorable government policies, he said.
“These we need to do, not only for the thousands of sugar farmers but, more importantly, for the millions of Filipinos whose lives depend upon the sugar industry,” Yulo stressed.
More than 1,000 local delegates and product exhibitors have confirmed their participation while guests and exhibitors from other sugar-producing countries have also signified their attendance.
Aside from the plenary sessions, the conference also features technical papers and product presentations, in smaller break-up sessions, in Agriculture and Farm Engineering, Bioenergy and Environmental Management, Process, Management and Engineering Divisions.
During the convention, Philsutech will also confer the 2018 Don Carlos Locsin Award to an industry stakeholder who has made exemplary contributions to the industry, and the Philsutech Member Award for outstanding members in their respective fields of expertise.
The annual confab is not only all about technical matters, as members and exhibitors also have the chance to enjoy themselves in the friendly golf tournament at the Cebu Country Club and during the denim and glitters-themed Exhibitors’ Night yesterday while delegates will be treated to a Gala Night tomorrow.
On August 17, the convention will be capped by the general assembly and the oath-taking of the new set of Philsutech officers. (PR)