In observance of the National Month of Farmers and Fisherfolk this May 2026, the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) highlighted the continuing challenges and lived realities faced by sugar workers despite the existence of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) for the sugar industry.

A 2024 study titled “Revisiting Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in the Sugar Industry Using the Transformative Social Protection Framework” found that while the program provides important assistance to sugar workers, particularly  sacadas or migrant farm workers, it remained insufficient in addressing the vulnerabilities faced by many workers and their families.

Established through Presidential Decree 621 in 1974 and later institutionalized by Republic Act 6982, the SAP was designed to improve the welfare of sugar workers through a production-sharing scheme that allocates a portion of sugar proceeds to workers in the form of cash bonus and socio-economic projects.

The study noted that the program continues to provide essential support through cash bonuses, maternity benefits, and other forms of aid. However, these measures largely serve a temporary relief and do not adequately address deeper structural issued faced by sugar workers, such as seasonal unemployment and indebtedness, limited social protection coverage, and unequal power relations.

To make SAP more responsive to the needs of workers, the study recommends a comprehensive review of RA 6982. Among the proposed reforms are the inclusion of additional benefits such as paternity leave, disability support and complementary socio-economic projects that would improve socio-economic conditions.

The study also recommended improving the SAP database by including more detailed information on sacadas, gender, socioeconomic conditions, and geographic vulnerabilities to better identify workers and families most in need of assistance. It further emphasized the need to simplify benefit application procedures and strengthen the program’s governance mechanisms to improve accessibility and delivery of services, particularly for vulnerable and informal workers in the sugar sector.

Beyond immediate assistance, the study stressed the need for more transformative and sustainable interventions, including skills training, alternative livelihood opportunities, and stronger labor representation mechanisms that would enable sugar workers to participate more actively in policymaking processes affecting their welfare.

ILS called on stakeholders in the sugar industry to work together in developing evidence-based policies and programs that address both the immediate and long-term needs of sugar workers. The Institute emphasized that strengthening social protection mechanisms and promoting decent work are essential in building a more equitable, resilient, and inclusive sugar industry.

Read the full research paper at https://ils.dole.gov.ph/2024-research-papers/revisiting-social-amelioration-program-sap-in-the-sugar-industry-using-the-transformative-social-protection-framework.

For more information, visit the official ILS website at https://ils.dole.gov.ph.