MOISES Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña denied the statement that he supposedly issued against the campaign to boycott Coca-Cola products.
Peña called VoxPop Bacolod on Saturday, May 6 saying that he did not issue such statement.
The supposed press statement of the mayor, which was delivered in an envelope to the VoxPop Bacolod office on May 4, said, “I want the governor and the sugar industry leaders to know especially the presidents of sugar federations that the municipalities of Pulupandan and Moises Padilla will not join the boycott of Coca-Cola for using high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as this is stupidity. The presidents of the federations should put their acts together and sit down with the cola industry and discuss the problems amicably. You cannot oblige one industry to subsidize another industry, that’s stupidity.”
It was published on Friday, May 5, under the article “Leaders ‘worried’ over continuing drop in sugar prices.”
Pena’s staff Yrene Valenzuela also informed VoxPop Bacolod Friday that the local chief executive did not issue such statement. Her denial was also published in the paper on Saturday.
Sugar industry leaders said the unregulated importation of HFCS had caused a massive drop in sugar prices, which is killing the industry.
In Negros Occidental, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. banned the sale and sponsorship of Coke products in this year’s Panaad sa Negros Festival.
Other localities that boycotted Coke were Hinigaran, Isabela, Pontevedra, Binalbagan, La Carlota City, Bago City, and Barangay Talotog of Murcia town. (MPE)