Revival of southern Negros sugar mill sought

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – A group of sugar farmers in southern Negros Occidental asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to help them revive a sugar central and pump prime the economy in the area.

Rolando Parpa, chairman of the Dacongcogon Farmers Producers Cooperative (DFPC) said the 10,000 signatories pushing for the revival of the Dacongcogon sugar mill project in Kabankalan City have been awaiting the decision of Malacañang on their appeal for almost 12 years already.

Parpa said Malacañang did not give “serious attention” to their appeal to revive the sugar mill.

In a press statement, Parpa recalled that the operation of the Dacongcogon sugar mill, which was established in 1968 and first produced sugar in 1971 until its closure in 2008, generated P2.2 billion that circulated in the Dacongcogon Valley community, which used to be among the insurgency affected areas of Negros Occidental.

He said its closure in 2008, caused economic dislocation and poverty problems in the hinterland communities of CHICKS (Cauayan Hinobaan Ilog Candoni Kabankalan Sipalay) area, areas that remain affected by insurgency problems until now.

He further said that the continued armed skirmishes between government forces and New People’s Army combatants caused loss of lives, including that of innocent civilians, dislocation of residents from their respective areas, loss of livelihood opportunities, and destruction of properties.

Parpa reiterated that the only solution to poverty as the underlying cause of insurgency and to stop the killings at the Southern Negros CHICKS area is restoring the local Dacongcogon sugar milling facility, noting that it was a government flagship socio-economic project symbolizing real development, for 40 years.

“The now mothballed and rotting sugar mill structures and machinery has become a pathetic symbol of economic retrogression,” Parpa lamented.

While the military claims that “development will kill the NPA, Parpa said the failure of the government to respond to the people’s call for assistance for 12 years, to preserve and/or revive it unwantedly killed a vital, hinterland, socio-economic institution.”

He contended that the revival of the Dacongcogon project would revive development, improve living conditions, bring hope, and end the continuing insurgency-related killings in the area, which was nationally editorialized as a “killing field” in 2019.

“How many more need to die in Negros so the people’s problem about poverty and insurgency could get the personal attention of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., particularly those from the grassroots who are the most affected victims,” Parpa asked.

Parpa pointed out that the revival of the Dacongcogon project would revive development, improve living conditions, bring hope, and end the continuing insurgency-related killings in the area.