SRA 20 years After
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BEGINNINGS
- When Sugar Regulatory Administration took over the supervision of the sugar industry in 1986, it was reeling from the impact of hard times. Former President Corazon Aquino on May 28, 1986 created the Sugar Regulatory Administration to oversee the rehabilitation of the sugar industry. It aims to revive the sugar industry, by setting up short and long term plan measures to relieve the pressure on Philippine sugar from adverse international conditions and at the same time to improve competitiveness in both world and domestic markets to make it a more effective instrument in the national economic stability
- A SWEET JOURNEY
Led by experienced sugar men, the first SRA Board assumed post on June 2, 1986. It was composed of Arsenio Yulo, Jr. as administrator and Board Members Carlos Ledesma and Bibiano Sabino. The Board's initial move was to retain offices and employees of the defunct Philippine Sugar Commission under the same salary scale and position until the SRA has decided to have a more permanent set-up
One of the significant reforms was to re-establish free enterprise system where producers can participate in the production and marketing of their products. The sugar classification system was also put into place and the credibility of sugar quedans as a negotiable instrument has also been restored. As a result, the confidence of the sugar industry to SRA has greatly improved. The SRA has continued its support to the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc, better known as SIFI, a social development foundation which aims to uplift the conditions of sugar workers and their families.
While heading towards the path to recovery, some SRA employees have gained special recognition.
Adm. Arsenio Yulo was elected ISO chairman in 1986. The Presidential Plow award in research was given to Marcelino Guevarra in 1988 while in May 1989, Dr. Melanie Alba was given the Lingkod Bayan presidential award for her outstanding accomplishment in research technology, the development of trichogramma culture as biological control agent for cane borers. Through the years a number of SRA employees have become experts in their line of specialization and have attended trainings here and abroad. One of which is the microprogation seminar in Hawaii of Ms. Cresenciana Morales recommended by Board Member Zabaleta. This later gave her tremendous recognitions for her contribution in the field of research. SRA has two conferred scientists both stationed in LAREC, Mr. Mar Guevarra and Dr. Julieta Recuenco.
- In 1991, the Mill District Development Council or MDDC was created to serve as the major channel of development of the sugar industry in the mill district level. Following Adm. Yulo was Adm. Rodolfo Gamboa on February 7, 1992. During his term, the Philippine Sugar Research Institute was established to undertake research and development studies. The agency's socialized Housing Project in Batasan Quezon City was also reactivated during Adm. Gamboa's term. Today, there are more than 580 units owned by SRA employees and other government employees.
| The agency has also continued distributing to sugarcane farmers HYV canepoints, micropropagated plantlets and trichogramma strips used to control stemborers. | ||
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| CANEPOINTS DISTRIBUTION | MICROPROPAGATED PLANTLET | TRICHOGRAMMA |
- SRA has maintained its two (2) research stations -
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The Luzon Agricultural Research and Extension Office (LAREC) in Floridablanca La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Office (LAGAREC) in La Carlota City Negros Occidental. - Rolleo Ignacio became Acting SRA Administrator on January 29, 1996. He was a former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture. Wilson Gamboa followed Acting Adm. Ignacio as SRA head on Aug. 12, 1996. During his term, the Presidential Task Force for the sugar industry was created to draft plans and programs necessary to enhance productivity in the sugar industry towards globalization and competitiveness. Although barely 6 months as SRA head starting in Dec. 1997, Michael Suarez led the management of Gintong Ani Sugarcane PLUS to bring out the best of the local industry by adopting appropriate innovations and world-class technologies to enhance sugarcane production.
- Nicolas Alonso assumed post on July 6, 1998. Under his administration, the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines was formed which developed a master plan, a ten-year road map for the industry's development. Another significant accomplishment during his term was the transparent bidding of the 300,000 metric tons of imported sugar to fill up the domestic requirement in 1999. From this, the government generated P1.5 billion from its conversion fee. The P600M was allocated for the industry, P541M was turned over to DA as part of the regular ACEF while the remaining fund was distributed as producer's margin. It was during his term in 1999 when Ms. Cresenciana Morales received her DOST technology commercialization award for micropropagation technology of sugarcane high-yielding varieties. She also received the Presidential Lingkod Bayan award for outstanding accomplishment in research technology the following year.
- PHYSICAL SET-UP
- SRA occupies the ground and 2nd floor of the six (6) storey 38 years building named Philippine Sugar Center. This was later renamed Sugar Center Building in North Avenue, Quezon City with a four (4) storey annex building in the same compound and a branch office in Singcang, Bacolod.
SRA has maintained its two (2) research stations - The Luzon Agricultural Research and Extension Office (LAREC) in Floridablanca and the La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Office (LAGAREC) in La Carlota City Negros Occidental, although the direction is now to focus its research activities only in LGAREC and make LAREC more of an extension state.
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Current Administrator James Ledesma assumed office on March 5, 2001. Two years after, the country has regained its self-sufficiency status. |
Like Adm. Yulo, Adm. Ledesma also became chairman of the ISO Council in 2003, this as a result, the Philippines hosted the ISO Council mid-year meeting in Cebu in May 2003. One major success in his administration was the implementation of the P600M Sugar ACEF projects. The setting up of more nurseries for high yielding varieties, farm mechanization, road rehabilitation, irrigation, training facilities and equipment and upgrading of SRA's research facilities are the priority projects being implemented by Sugar ACEF. This has greatly contributed to the increased levels of productivity and production that led to the surplus production in 2003.
In 2002, the SRA laboratory was also accredited under ISO 17025; making SRA laboratory the official national sugar reference laboratory of the sugar industry. |
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Extension services were also strengthened by way of continuous education and training of our sugarcane farmers thru OPSI, EWA and livelihood seminars. Also being implemented is the housing project in Bacolod primarily for the Negros-Panay employees. Mr. Ledesma is one of the industry leaders behind the implementation of the National Bioethanol Program of the sugarcane industry.
- 21 SWEET YEARS
For the past 21 years, the agency has concentrated its efforts on regulatory, research and development and extension services by way of education and training of sugarcane planters. It is for these reasons that the agency has grown fruitful in many ways as an institution by itself. It has remained committed in fulfilling its mandate by way of providing meaningful service to the industry. In the years to come, SRA will continue to carry out its mandate to be a strong partner with all the other sectors of the sugarcane industry, particularly the private sector, in order to sustain the growth and development of the industry.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is the first agency attached to the Department of Agriculture which has finally implemented its Rationalization Program effective January 2, 2007 pursuant to Executive Order No. 339, series of 2004. The recently concluded implementation of the SRA Rationalization Program resulted in the reduction of the SRA workforce from 631 to 431 employees, 238 employees stationed in Luzon / Mindanao and 193 employees in the Visayas.
Currently, SRA has been tasked by Secretary Arthur C. Yap of the Department of Agriculture, as the lead agency in the implementation of the bioethanol program of the department pursuant to R.A. 9367 otherwise known as the “Biofuels Act of 2006”.