Sugar federation re-elects president for another 2 crop years

BACOLOD CITY—The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (Confed) unanimously re-elected Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. as president for Crop Years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 during its annual membership meeting in Makati City on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The re-election marks Valderrama’s fifth and sixth crop years as Confed president, making him the longest-serving president in the federation’s history, according to a press release from the group.

Joining Valderrama in the newly elected executive lineup are Loreto Mabborang, vice president for Luzon; Alfonso Gamboa, vice president for Visayas; Antonio Ferdinand Marañon, vice president for Mindanao; Nicholas Gerardo Ledesma Jr., treasurer; and Maria Regina Martin, secretary.

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The board also unanimously approved the appointment of Belmonte Sison & Associates as the federation’s legal consultants. Managing Partner Atty. Kathryn Sison attended the meeting to formally accept the appointment.

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Valderrama thanked Confed members and board representatives for their continued trust and confidence and reaffirmed the federation’s mission.

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He said Confed would remain an independent voice for sugar producers and workers as the industry faces challenges that require stronger representation, accountability, and unity among stakeholders.

In his address to the membership, Valderrama called for decisive action.

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“Every time we choose silence because speaking up is uncomfortable, someone else speaks for us. Every time we refuse to take a firm position because we are afraid of offending someone, someone else makes the decision for us. And every time we put our individual interests ahead of the collective interest of the industry, we become weaker,” he said.

Confed accounts for 32.81 percent of the country’s total sugar production, making it the country’s leading sugar federation by volume, according to Sugar Regulatory Administration Circular Letter No. 11, Series of 2025-2026, the group said.

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To strengthen industry solidarity, Confed has partnered with the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers to form the Sugar Council.

The federation has also forged alliances with labor organizations, including the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry and the Democratic Alliance of Labor Organizations, it said. /mcm