Benefits necessary to prop up sugar industry

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno urged the government today to release the Social Amelioration Fund (SAF) to sugar workers to support the local sugar industry which is being swamped by tons of imports.

KMU disclosed that the total amount of unreleased SAF since 1951 could reach billions. In Negros alone, the amount of unreleased SAF since 2006 stands at P150 million.

“Releasing the sugar aid is much needed during these times when the local sugar industry needs to be strengthened and liberated from dependence on foreign imports,” said KMU Chairperson Elmer “Bong” Labog.

Under the Sugar Amelioration Act of 1991 (or the Republic Act 6982), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shall set aside 10 liens (equivalent to P10.00) in every LKG (50 kilos) of sugar produced. This will go to the Social Amelioration Fund (SAF) of which, 80% of this will go to Social Amelioration Bonus while the remaining 20% should go to economic projects, maternity and death benefits for the farm workers, and admin support for DOLE/BRW.

“Previous and present regimes, in collaboration with big landlords, have robbed sugar workers of the fruits of their toil by refusing to release the SAF even as government policies on importation and trade have already eroded their living,” Labog said.

“They hardly have a penny to spend on primary needs as their wages have been sharply slashed through the years. Most of them are even displaced due to massive importation of sugar and shrinking of agricultural lands,” he added.
According to Labog, domination of foreign corporations over the sugar industry have wrought damage on all fronts – from the livelihood of sugar workers to consumers who now suffer from steep sugar prices due to rising prices in the world market.

KMU also demanded presidential aspirants to bare their plans for sugar workers, specifically their plan on how to raise and release the SAF backlog.

“We want the stand of political aspirants on SAF, especially since several candidates like Sen. Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino own tracts of sugarlands. We dare them to do the necessary measures as early as now for the release of the SAF,” Labog said.