Old ties rekindled for sugar industry’s sake

The old ties that harmonized planter-labor relations in the sugar industry have been rekindled, this time by a new generation sugar leader and the son of a revered labor leader who passed away 10 years ago.

Aurelio Valderrama, Jr., President of CONFED (Confederation of Sugar Planters’ Associations, Inc.) and Roland de la Cruz, President of NACUSIP (National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines), met recently and agreed to collaborate on vital issues affecting the sugar industry.

Both leaders initially agreed to focus on, according to Valderrama, “the revision of SIDA (Sugar Industry Development Act of 2015) and the empowerment of industry stakeholders by pushing for more consultative policy-making by government, especially on sugar importation”.

De la Cruz, a former councilor of the municipality of Murcia in Negros Occidental and Presidential Protocol Officer of former President Erap Estrada and Gloria Arroyo, added that his group now includes not only the formal labor sector but also small planters, particularly agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations.

“Any benefits accruing to sugar producers,” de la Cruz said, “will naturally benefit our members, and we wish only to ensure that sugar workers benefit likewise.”

De la Cruz was recently elected national president of an aggrupation of 61 multi-industry trade unions with collective bargaining agreements and 17 agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations nationwide.

The NACUSIP President pledged to continue the legacy of his father, lawyer, legislator and labor leader Zoilo V. de la Cruz, Jr., who is best remembered for his groundbreaking work to promote the welfare of sugar workers. His collaborative work with sugar industry leaders gave birth to the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. (SIFI), now one of the leading socio-economic development arms of the sugar industry.

It will be recalled that the elder de la Cruz, a lawyer and trade union leader, who died at the age of 84 in December 2014, was the “father of the 13th month pay” and the Social Amelioration Program for sugar workers, aside from being a founding member of the SIFI Board and a member of the 10th Congress. Many of the sugar leaders with whom he worked – such as Rodolfo Gamboa and Eduardo Ledesma, Sr. – have also passed on, but their collaborative work, even during the most trying of times, allowed the industry to effectively address vital issues for the benefit of all concerned sectors.

Both Valderrama and the young de la Cruz pledged to work together in solidarity to address common concerns and challenges, in a collaboration anchored on cooperation, goodwill and trust. They also expressed their willingness to work with other like-minded groups for the good of the sugar industry.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Valderrama concluded, “and we seek to join hands with those who want to see a vibrant sugarcane industry that takes care of all its dependents, without fear or favor.”

De la Cruz agreed, saying “We will never tire of doing what is good and fair not only for our sector but for the industry in general.”*