Marcos Seeks Agreement on Sugar Imports After Coke, Pepsi, Flag Shortage

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Wednesday he was hoping to "come to an agreement" with industrial consumers of sugar to see if there's a need to import additional supplies of the sweetener.

Marcos, who handles the Department of Agriculture, said he was "very worried" about the possible fallout of a sugar shortage on business and jobs. The makers of Coke, Pepsi and RC Cola said Tuesday they were facing a shortage of premium refined sugar after the President rejected the importation of 300,000 tons of the commodity.

"We will come to an arrangement with the industrial consumers, with the planters, the millers, suppliers of the sugar to coordinate para talaga kung ano yung mayroon, kung ano yung available, mailabas na sa merkado," Marcos told reporters.

"Yung kulang, kunin na natin. Mag-import na tayo. Mapipilitan talaga tayo," he added.

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Marcos expressed concern over the situation of food and beverage manufacturers and their employees, as some of them have started to scale back operations due to a lack of sugar.

"Ang iniintindi ko lang talaga is that hindi tayo tumagal na mayroon tayong shortage ng sugar, lalong-lalo na para sa mga industrial consumer.... We are very worried, of course, about jobs. So yun ang iniintindi ko talaga right now," the president said.

Marcos previously said the Philippines might resume sugar imports by October, when local supply was projected to run out. He also said he would reorganize the Sugar Regulatory Administration after many of its officials resigned following an "illegal" import order.

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From: Reportr World