BACOLOD CITY - Sugar industry leaders based in Negros Occidental have welcomed the court decision favoring their bid to stop the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) from importing 200,000 metric tons of refined sugar for industrial users starting this month.

On Monday night, the United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED), the country's largest alliance of sugar producers of more than 30,000 member-planters, released a copy of the order dated Feb. 24, 2022 issued by Executive Judge Reginald Fuentebella of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 73 in Sagay City.

"(A) writ of preliminary injunction is hereby issued enjoining the defendant SRA to cease and desist from implementing Sugar Order No. 3, series of 2021-2022, and to maintain the status quo to be effective until the termination of this case unless earlier lifted," the judge stated in the six-page ruling.

UNIFED president Manuel Lamata described the development as a "victory" on their part as he thanked the court for seeing their side of the argument.

"This decision just affirms that the industry was right and SRA was wrong," he added.

Sugar producers from Negros Occidental, the top sugarcane-producing province, have led the opposition to SRA's Sugar Order No. 3, calling it "ill-timed" as it allows importation at the peak of the milling season, which already led to a huge decrease in sugar prices.

UNIFED director Joseph Edgar Sarrosa, who filed the case against the SRA on behalf of Rural Sugar Planters Association Inc., reiterated they are not against the importation in itself.

"We have been pushing for proper consultation and a calibrated importation program which is beneficial to all and not just for a particular sector," he said.

Initially, the RTC Branch 73 issued a 20-day temporary restraining order (TRO) on February 11, stating that Sarrosa's group "has shown to the satisfaction of this court that grave and irreparable injury will result from the implementation of SRA Sugar No. 3".

"The gravity of the possible injury cannot be underestimated as the sugar industry, directly and indirectly, impacts the lives of around three million Filipinos," the judge said in the TRO.

Based on Sugar Order No. 3, the imported refined sugar, supposed to benefit industrial users, which are the country's major food and beverage manufacturers, is expected to arrive between March 1 and May 1.

Earlier, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the decision to import some agricultural commodities such as sugar is backed by data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

He added the Philippines has a sufficient supply of food except for commodities such as sugar, where a deficiency is seen for the first and second quarter of 2022. (PNA)