Marcos appoints 3 new officials of Sugar Regulatory Administration

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has reconstituted the Sugar Regulatory Administration's (SRA) governing body with three new appointees.

The appointments were made on the heels of the controversial order authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar, which was later on declared “illegal” and thumbed down by the chief executive.

Marcos appointed David John Thaddeus P. Alba as acting administrator of the SRA, according to a report on state-run PTV.

Alba replaced former SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, who resigned from his post amid the controversy involving Sugar Order No. 4 (SO 4). The said order was deemed illegal as the Sugar Regulatory Board convened and issued a resolution without the approval of Marcos, who as the concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture is chairman of the sugar board. 

Meanwhile, other newly-appointed Sugar Regulatory Board members are Pablo Luis S. Azcona, replacing sugar planters representative Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr.; and Ma. Mitzi V. Mangwag, replacing sugar millers representative Atty. Roland Beltran, who resigned for health reasons. 

The SRA is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) attached to the DA, established in 1986 by virtue of Executive Order No. 18

It is mandated to promote the growth and development of the sugar industry through greater and significant participation of the private sector and to improve the working conditions of laborers.

The agency concentrates its efforts on effectively discharging regulatory, research and development (R&D) and socio-economic activities such as the livelihood programs for the sugar workers.

The Sugar Regulatory Board is the governing body of the SRA. —KG, GMA News