The Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. (SIFI) management and staff recently visited stakeholders in Mindanao for a series of updating.
The three-day visit created a re-ignition of connections. The trip was headed by SIFI President and COO Edith Y. Villanueva, joined by Luzon-Mindanao Regional Office Program Coordinator Eunice Cama, and SIFI Mindanao Project Officers Joseph Bryan Sermonia and Emmanuel Capul.
The first day was spent in Bukidnon, meeting with SIFI LMRO team in preparation for the visits in the sugar mills.
The second day, SIFI team headed to Busco Sugar Milling Company, Inc. and Crystal Sugar Company, Inc., together with their groups of planters associations (PAs).
Front row (L-R): Antonio Jayag (FIMUSPAI Manager), Eunice Cama (SIFI LMRO Program Coordinator), Jam Mik Cabinta (SFBMPC HR Specialist/EDAP Coordinator), Edith Y. Villanueva (SIFI President & COO), Josefredie Flores (SFBMPC/SGABI Gen. Manager), Maria Victoria Velasco (SPAB OIC), and Jessie Solas (BUSCO HR Manager); Back row (L-R): Joseph Bryan Sermonia (SIFI LMRO Project Officer), Albert Balduman (ABSFI HR Assistant/EDAP Coordinator), and Emmanuel Capul (SIFI LMRO Project Officer).
With Bukidnon partner mills and PAs. Found in the front row (L-R): Arnulfo Sahagun (CSCI HR Supt.), Kishler Pascual (CSCI Admin. Manager), Edith Y. Villanueva (SIFI President & COO), and Javier Sagarbarria (CSCI Resident Manager); back row (L-R): Eunice Cama (SIFI LMRO Program Coordinator), Marivel Baquiler (CSCI HR Supervisor), Alita Aguirre (CSCI Benefit Clerk/EDAP Coordinator), Jackielyn Balingkit (CSCI Benefit Clerk), Emmanuel Capul and Joseph Bryan Sermonia (SIFI LMRO Project Officers), Gemma Rhay Agbu (USFACO Manager), Elsita Calit (ABSFI Corporate Secretary), and Mary Ann Federe (USFACO Clerk/EDAP Coordinator).
The final day was allotted for the Davao del Sur and North Cotabato stakeholders.
Aside from the updating of SIFI activities to the stakeholders, concerns by the mills and PAs were taken into account by the team.
Villanueva also explained that the decline of sugar production in the past years will definitely affect SIFI and its programs. This made the stakeholders aware of the situation and has encouraged them to promote good farm practices and sustainable agriculture to increase farm yield and production.
