NEGROS Occidental Third District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez has filed resolution urging the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the plunge in the millgate price of locally produced sugar in Negros Occidental and its adverse economic impacts on sugar producers and laborers.
Benitez, who filed the House Resolution 373 on October 13, 2025, said the province of Negros Occidental is known as the "Sugar Bowl of the Philippines," producing approximately 1.8 million metric tons (MT) of sugar annually, accounting for more than half of the nation's total sugar output.
He said the millgate price of locally produced sugar in Negros Occidental has drastically fallen to an average of P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag, nearly P300 below the standard production cost of P2,500, placing immense financial strain on sugar producers.
“This steep price decline has triggered an alarming economic crisis for sugar planters in Negros Occidental, particularly small producers already burdened by rising fertilizer costs, which now average between P1,800 to P2,000 per bag,” he added.
The lawmaker stressed that given the centrality of sugar production to the Negros Occidental's economy and the grave implications of a sustained millgate price collapse, immediate legislative and executive action is necessary to safeguard the industry, protect rural livelihoods, and maintain equitable economic growth.
Benitez noted that Executive Order 18, Series of 1986, which created the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), explicitly mandates the agency to establish and maintain a balanced relation between the production and requirement of sugar and such marketing conditions as will ensure "stabilized prices at a level reasonably profitable to the producers and fair to consumers."
Benitez said Republic Act 7581, or the Price Act, classifies sugar as a "basic necessity," thereby placing it under the regulatory oversight of the Price Coordinating Council and its constituent agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry, for the purpose of ensuring its availability at reasonable and stable prices and protecting the supply chain from producer-level collapse. (MAP)