Leaders of the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) based in Negros Occidental have called on Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to “seriously consider” running for president in the May 2022 elections.
“We strongly believe that among the presidentiables, Mayor Sara is the candidate who will have the sugar industry’s interest at heart, as her father President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had, by supporting and enabling the agriculture sector in achieving food self-sufficiency,” the UNIFED, headed by president Manuel Lamata, said in a manifesto of support that came out in publications here on Friday.
UNIFED, which has more than 30,000 member-planters across the country, said they have been prodded to air their support to the Davao City mayor, believing that Sara “embodies the ideals and will play a major role to ensure the survival and sustainability of our sugar industry”.
The manifesto of support was signed by the 11 presidents of planters associations under UNIFED based in Negros Occidental, the Philippines’ top sugar-producing province.
They noted the sugar industry, being one of the major drivers of the country’s economic growth, contributes more than PHP95 billion to the nation’s coffers.
“Yet, we get very little appreciation and support from economic managers that view the agricultural sector’s contribution lightly,” UNIFED said.
They added that the threat of sugar liberalization, sugar smuggling, and lack of support for modernization efforts are still among the problems besetting the industry.
“All these we take into consideration in choosing the leader that we are convinced, will provide us assurance and will continue to look after the welfare of the more than five-million industry stakeholders all over the country,” UNIFED said.
The sugar producers’ group added they “believe that Mayor Sara possesses the qualities that a leader must have to unify the country especially in these challenging times, and at the same time, continue and improve on the gains we’ve made as a nation”.
“Mayor Sara has shown her mettle in governance, even outside of Davao. We have seen her courage and we are certain that she has the political will to effect change that will benefit our government and the people,” UNIFED further said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
