Source Verification: Gi Estrada Media Officer - 09166114181 Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) Resist AFTA in the Sugar Industry and Uphold Farmers and Farm Workers Rights Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz’ recommendation for sugar industry stakeholders to study how to mitigate the negative effects of lowering tariffs, because of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) by 2015 to sugar workers, is not the real solution to the problem. She should instead request the national government to resist lowering the tariffs of imported sugar from 18% at present to 5% by 2015. And ensure government assistance to farmers without reverting them to feudal relations like profit sharing schemes and by ensuring decent working conditions for farm and mill workers. In the first place, the goals being promoted by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to mitigate the effects of the tariff cuts is not the solution. These are to achieve self-sufficiency in the commodity; the use of sugarcane, sugar and its by-products for bio-fuel (ethanol) production; and power cogeneration. Sugar cane production in Thailand is much cheaper to produce than in the Philippines and the Thai government subsidizes sugar farmers for planting this crop. Filipino consumers, especially industrial users and institutions such as bakeries will opt to buy cheaper sugar from Thailand than those locally produced. The sugar industry will simply collapse. Even ethanol is cheaper to produce in Thailand than in the Philippines. According to the Global Agricultural Information Network of the US Department of Foreign Agricultural Service, while the Philippines boast that it has a combined capacity of 133 million liters (Ml), production in 2012 just totaled 15.7 Ml. Imports from Thailand on the other hand grew from 24 MI in 2011 to 90 MI in 2012. And there is a big problem with SRA’s proposal in achieving its goals. This is by introducing block farming as 90% of farm land planted to sugar is 10 hectares and below. This will essentially perpetuate the landlords control again over the lands which supposedly were already awarded to them as farmer beneficiaries. They will be the ones to dictate what crop to plant; where and when to plant; and where to sell their produce. Other than that, the farmers whose lands would be included in the block farm would just be hired as a farm hand and split his/her profits with Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization (ARBO) officers and financiers. This is essentially reverting back to feudal relationships. With regards to farm workers, the practice of labor contracting should be stopped. Lately the Department of the Labor secretary came out with guidelines for the hiring and employment of migratory sugar workers (MSWs) which only reinforces contractualization. It designates the contractor or more commonly known as placement/recruitment agency as the main employer of the MSWs, for purposes of enforcing the provisions of the Labor Code and other social legislations. While it stipulates that the Principal (employer) shall be solidarily liable with the Contractor for any violation of the Labor Code as amended, the only penal provision pertains to that of violation of Republic Act No. 9208 (Anti Human Trafficking Act of 2003) and the penal provisions on illegal recruitment as provided for under the Labor Code as amended. In other words this only pertains to overcharging of placement/recruitment fees by the contractors and not in violation of the Labor Code and other social legislations. The employer in effect is allowed to violate the Labor Code with impunity because of this loophole in the proposed guidelines. Other than that, it legalizes the piece and pakiao rates common among MSWs in the country and makes a mockery of the proposal that they should be paid the minimum wage. There is no other solution for the Philippine sugar industry other than to resist AFTA, for the government to provide support services to farmers without requiring them to adopt block farming and in upholding their and the farm workers’ rights.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 14:01:44 +0000
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