BACOLOD CITY — The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (Nacusip) has commended Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson for the successful cloud seeding operations that brought relief to drought-stricken farms across the province. The 28-day campaign by the provincial government, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Soils and Water Management, and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) completed 38 sorties totaling 52 flying hours and deployed 456 bags of salt as a seeding agent. Nacusip highlighted the initiative as a model of efficient public service, noting that the PAF’s 900th Air Force Weather Group achieved a 100-percent success rate during operations in Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region from September to October. However, as DA–Negros Island Region prepares to launch a P30-million cloud seeding project to mitigate the effects of the approaching Super El Niño, Nacusip is urging the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to abandon plans to rent private aircraft and instead continue using existing government resources. “We cannot afford to waste precious government allocations on exorbitant private rentals when taxpayers’ money already sustains the operations of the Philippine Air Force,” said NACUSIP National President Roland de la Cruz. “Renting commercial planes is an unnecessary luxury and a wasteful expenditure that takes funds away from agricultural input subsidies and direct support for distressed farmers and sugar workers,” he said. De la Cruz pointed out that every peso of the P30 million budget should go toward actual operational needs such as salt and fuel, especially as crop damage in Negros Occidental has reached P41.98 million, affecting thousands of farmers and workers. The group called on the SRA to adopt Governor Lacson’s cost-efficient approach and maximize inter-agency cooperation rather than contracting services to private aviation companies.
The Manila Times
Original source
