President Marcos names Azcona acting SRA chief

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has appointed sugar planter Pablo Luis Azcona as acting administrator and chief executive officer of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

Azcona’s appointment papers were signed by the President on April 20, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Prior to his latest appointment, Azcona was a board member of the SRA, representing sugar planters.

Marcos concurrently serves as agriculture secretary and chairs the SRA board. The President earlier designated Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban as officer-in-charge of the SRA.

Former SRA administrator David John Thaddeus Alba resigned from his post on March 24 due to his “worsening health condition,” Malacañang said.

Alba’s resignation took effect on April 15. His resignation came following the recent importation of 440,000 metric tons of sugar, which were supposedly allocated to three “handpicked” importers.

SRA, a government-owned and controlled corporation, has been a subject of controversies since the start of the Marcos administration in June last year, particularly on the issue of importations that led to the resignation of then executive secretary Vic Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, the President also appointed Robert Suguitan as senior deputy administrator of the National Irrigation Administration, the PCO said.

‘Improve local production’

Marcos’ marching order to Azcona is to improve the local sugar production as soon as possible.

“The marching order of the administration is to make sure we improve production as quickly as we can so we are now challenged with El Niño,” Azcona said. “Apparently my appointment took effect April 20, 2023, the transmission of the papers has been delayed so I have to trace what happened from April 20 onwards,” he stated.

According to Azcona, among the challenges he faces is to push the five million people in the sugar industry to produce more to address the high retail prices of sugar. “The most immediate is to address the high retail prices. The farm gate price has held on but we have seen that the spread from farm gate to retail has continually been growing in the last few months. The farmers are not earning more but the wholesalers, retailers, earn more. That is one area of concern that we need to tackle,” he said.

Based on monitoring of the Department of Agriculture on Friday, the retail price of refined sugar ranged between P86 and P110 per kilo; washed sugar, between P82 and P90 per kilo and brown sugar, between P78 and P95 per kilo. For his part, sugar farmers’ group United Sugar Producers Federation president Manuel Lamata backed the appointment of Azcona. “I am happy he was appointed. At least he is from Negros Island,” Lamata said in a text message to The STAR.

Former SRA administrator and former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela also welcomed the assumption in office of Azcona. “I have no problem with that and I wish him luck as acting administrator,” Coscolluela told The STAR. — Bella Cariaso