Measures Designed to Meet Domestic Consumption Requirements for Sugar

August 12, 1973

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 114

Pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21, 1972, and in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces, and in the interest of the National objective to promote public welfare by making available basic needs, you and the subordinate officials and employees under you are directed to formulate and effect reasonable measures designed to meet domestic consumption requirements for sugar, and collaterally implement a distribution scheme responsive to local demands.

Specifically you shall:

1. Require all domestic sugar refineries, principally Victorias Sugar Milling Company, to release immediately all available refined sugar of whatever grade now stored in their warehouses and premises for sale through normal retail outlets to the general public.

2. Require, for as long as the shortage in refined sugar for domestic household uses remains acute, all the domestic sugar refineries to mill raw sugar into commercial grade refined sugar for injection into the market, such milling to continue until the supply and demand for commercial refined sugar shall normalize to the level before the present shortage occurred. cd i

3. Allow all the domestic sugar refineries to mill any raw sugar in their custody belonging to whomsoever into refined commercial sugar for immediate and continuous injection into the market for the general public.

4. Allow all such sugar refineries to draw raw sugar at government established prices plus a reasonable amount to cover legitimate cost of transportation from whatever source, in order not to disrupt their operation.

5. See to it that all refined sugar needed to stabilize the present abnormal condition of supply and demand shall be marketed or distributed through reliable marketing organization to induce efficiency and discourage any attempt at blackmarketing. acd

6. Disallow any conversion of "B" sugar into "A" sugar without the written approval of the Department of National Defense.

7. Conduct a bi-monthly inventory of all "A" and "B" sugar, to include location, quantity, and ownership.

In accomplishing that foregoing order you are hereby also directed that injury to person and property are carefully avoided.

The Secretary of National Defense is hereby designated to issue implementing rules and regulations to give effect to these instructions.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 12th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Three.