Organization of an Inter-Agency Emergency Task Force on the Sugar Industry

March 28, 1985

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 1452

 

WHEREAS, at no time in the history of the sugar industry has there been a serious crisis as the once facing it today, due mainly to the severe slump of the world price of sugar, a situation aggravated by a series of natural calamities that wrought havoc to sugar producing regions;

WHEREAS, given this critical condition of the sugar industry, it is expected that there will be a substantial reduction in farm hectarage devoted to sugar, closure of some sugar centrals and reduction in milling capacity, all of which will inevitably result in massive dislocation and displacement of workers in the industry;

WHEREAS, there is an imperative need to provide immediate assistance to the workers and producers in the sugar industry, particularly those in the depressed regions of the country;

WHEREAS, a Joint Communiqué signed by representatives of the government, planters, millers, workers, and civic groups during the Employment Conference on 22 February 1985 embodied programs and projects responsive to the problems of dislocated workers and distressed sugar producers.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the power vested in me by the Constitution do hereby order the organization of an Inter-Agency Emergency Task Force on the Sugar Industry that shall be responsible for the immediate formulation and implementation of emergency employment assistance programs and projects and other necessary measures to provide assistance and relief to affected sugar producers and workers and their families, giving priority to the most depresses sugar producing regions.

To ensure effective coordination of the efforts of the various participating agencies, the Inter-Agency Emergency Task Force shall be composed of the following:

 

Chairman-Minister of Labor and Employment
Vice Chairman-Director-General, National Economic and
	Development Authority
Members-Minister of Agriculture and Food
Minister of Trade and Industry
Minister of Social Services and Development
Minister of Public Works and Highways
Minister of Agrarian Reform
Minister of Human Settlements
Minister of Local Government
Minister of National Defense
Minister of Natural Resources
Minister Office of Media Affairs
Director-General, National Manpower and Youth Council
Administrator, Social Security System
Administrator, National Food Authority
Chairman, Philippine Sugar Corporation
The Governor, Negros Occidental

 

 

The Ministry of Labor and Employment is directed to expand its livelihood Program of sugar workers utilizing the interest income of the social amelioration fund, the MOLE Special Project Fund and the undistributed Social Amelioration Funds pursuant to PD 621 as amended. The MOLE through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) shall consider possible overseas employment assistance especially for skilled workers in the mills as well as graduates of accelerated skills training courses of the National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC) and seamen training schemes. The MOLE through the Public Employment Exchange Centers (PEEC) shall serve as the central processing center to receive applicants for employment assistance.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF) shall immediately set up processing plants in support of the yellow corn production program. Through the National Food Authority (NFA) the MAF shall extend financial assistance through the Intensified Rice Production Program (IRPP) and the Expected Yellow Corn Assistance Program (EYCAP) to accredited or recognized workers cooperatives, rural workers associations and trade unions as well as to qualified farmer-borrowers. Market assistance and farm price support guaranteed through direct procurement of the farmer's produce shall be extended.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MIT) shall vigorously promote small-scale entrepreneurial enterprises in Region VI and provide adequate financing guarantees;

The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) shall implement an aggressive program on food for work and self-employment schemes for displaced sugar workers and their families.

The Ministry of Agrarian Reform (MAR) is directed to supervise the implementation of PD 1066 which exempts sugar lands that have been converted to rice and corn and those which are now idle or may become idle due to the crisis and the owners of which will allow the displaced sugar worker to utilize for productive purposes from the coverage of the land reform program.

The Ministry of Human Settlements (MHS) shall intensify the extension of financial assistance under the KKK and Sariling-Sikap Programs to displaced sugar workers.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) shall work for the inclusion of Region VI as a priority area for civic action programs pursuant to LOI 1004.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), through the Bureau of Forest Development shall accelerate its reforestation program to absorb displaced sugar workers and consider the propagation of rattan in logged-over areas well as in forest lands, particularly in Negros Occidental.

The Office of Media Affairs (OMA) shall conduct massive information and education campaign to ensure widest understanding and support to the efforts of all the sectors to ameliorate the plight of distressed planters and displaced sugar workers.

The National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC) shall conduct practical and vocational and agricultural training courses responsive to the needs of the displaced workers.

The Social Security System (SSS) shall facilitate processing of application for the three-month emergency loans of terminated temporary laid-off and/or displaced workers in the sugar industry pursuant to Letter of Instructions No. 1403 and Letter of Implementation No. 150. The SSS shall immediately work out and implement a viable scheme of lending to sugar workers for the purpose of procuring rice from the NFA especially during the off-milling season to be guaranteed jointly by the employers and the workers. For this purpose, the SSS shall set aside the amount of P50 million.

The Provincial and Local Governments concerned are directed to develop complementary employment projects for the benefit of the displaced workers.

The Task Force is hereby authorized to call upon any Ministry, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government including the Regional Development Council, for such assistance as may be necessary in the discharge of its functions and the attainment of its obligations.

The Task Force shall meet at least once a month to assess the progress of the projects and to monitor the implementation of this LOI. A Task Force Secretariat drawn from the relevant agencies of the Ministry of Labor and Employment shall be organized to render technical and administrative support to the Task Force, and to coordinate with the various agencies that the Task Force has to regularly deal with.

Considering that the most severely affected area in the province of Negros Occidental which produces 57% of the total national sugar production, a provincial Task Force shall also be created with the Governor of Negros Occidental as Chairman and the Regional Director of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Region VI as Vice-Chairman. This is to ensure efficient and effective implementation and monitoring of employment program and projects for the displaced sugar workers in the province.

This Provincial Task Force shall have as members the regional and provincial counterparts of members of the Inter-Agency Task Force. The Chairman of the Provincial Task Force shall have the authority to call on any agency of the government to assist in the implementation of programs and projects. Appropriate sub-working groups can be created to facilitate monitoring and implementation.

A working fund of P2 million taken from the Special Activities Fund of the Office of the President is hereby released for the operating expenses of the Inter-Agency Emergency Task Force. An additional $2 million from the Economic Support Fund shall be appropriated in support of livelihood and employment projects of sugar workers. The various ministries and agencies shall likewise appropriate from their own respective budgets such amount as may be determined by the Inter-Agency Emergency Task Force.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 28th of March, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five.