Marcos Jr. admin appoints new Sugar board administrator

MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos Jr. administration appointed a new administrator, albeit in an acting capacity, to preside over the controversial Sugar Regulatory Administration board.

In an announcement on Thursday, Malacañang confirmed the appointment of Pablo Luis Azcona as the acting administrator and CEO of the Sugar Regulatory Administration board.

The appointment took effect on April 20.

Azcona previously represented the interest of sugar planters on the SRA board. 

The previous administrator, David Thaddeus Alba, resigned from this posting on account of his worsening health. 

As it is, the SRA is tasked with presiding over the welfare of the local sugar industry and its stakeholders. Sugar became a national issue at the start of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s term in 2022, as a botched import order figured in the center of a Senate probe amid rising inflation pressures that sapped the public’s purchasing power.

The SRA is an agency under the Department of Agriculture, currently helmed by Marcos as the secretary amid persistent supply bottlenecks that fueled the acceleration of inflation. — Ramon Royandoyan