THE court denied the petition of a beverage giant for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the order of Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) regulating the importation of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
This was confirmed Monday by Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Anna Rosario Paner, who said she has “mixed reactions” over the ruling of the court.
Last week, Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines filed a petition asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on SRA’s order to regulate the importation of HFCS, which prompted the SRA to file an opposition before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98.
Beverage firms use HFCS as an alternative to sugar. Stakeholders said the unabated importation of HFCS is killing the sugar industry.
Paner said it’s a “good day” because the court had ruled in their favor, which means that Coca-Cola was not able to show all the requirements for the issuance of a TRO.
“But I still maintain that nobody truly wins in a court battle. We at SRA remain committed to defending the sugar order in any fora,” she added.
Aside from Paner, also named respondents in the TRO petition were Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, and members of the Sugar Board.
The hearing on the petition for injunction will be held on March 20.
“We will be ready on March 20 for the injunction hearing at which time Coke and SRA are expected to present their respective witnesses,” Paner said.
She also thanked the Department of Agriculture and the sugar industry for the continued strong support.
“Personally, I get my strength from all those who believe we are doing the right thing,” Paner added.
Small victory
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Inc. (Confed) said they are thankful that the court has denied the TRO filed against the sugar order issued by the SRA.
“This is a small victory, but a good one and we are thankful for this outcome,” Confed national president Francis de la Rama said in a statement Monday.
“We must not be complacent however, and we must remain vigilant about the situation since it's no joke to be against a multinational (company),” he added.
Sugar Order No. 3 stated that the importer of HFCS must be registered with SRA and that applicants must also comply with the requirements otherwise, they will be penalized.