28 Hacienda Workers File Labor Complaint vs. Sugar Confederation President

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Twenty-eight workers from Hacienda Lolita in Barangay Luna in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental have sought the intervention of the Department of Agriculture, as they filed a labor-related complaint against Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED) president Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. In a letter addressed to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the workers appealed for assistance, claiming they had endured decades of unfair labor practices while working on Valderrama’s sugar estate. The workers alleged they had been underpaid and deprived of legally mandated benefits, including their 13th month pay, carabao share and the three-percent share of the social amelioration bonus. They also claimed they were prohibited from organizing themselves or forming a labor union. Valderrama denied all allegations through a statement issued by his legal counsel, describing the claims of underpayment and non-payment of wages and benefits as “false, if not malicious.” “What they cannot do legally, they try to achieve by mudslinging and media pressure tactics. My conscience is clear, and I will not bow to any such coercion,” Valderrama said. He added that he is willing to cooperate with the Department of Labor and Employment. This incident highlights the ongoing labor rights issues within the Philippines' agricultural sector and the long-standing conflicts between workers and large estate owners, particularly in regions like the Visayas where the sugar industry is prominent.