Antique Capitol to rescue minor sacadas
By Rey P. Alcalde
SAN JOSE, ANTIQUE, July 1 (PNA) -– Aware of the sad reality that minors are being forced to work as migrant sugar cane plantation workers locally known as sacadas at the haciendas in Negros Occidental due to extreme poverty, the Provincial Government of Antique thru the Sacada Desk vowed to stop this illegal recruitment of minors at all cost.
Sacada Desk OIC Bien Nallos, said he has marching orders from Gov. Rhodora J. Cadiao to reach out to the families of the sacadas from all over the province to assess their conditions and find ways and means to help them, especially in stopping these minors from working as sacadas.
Nallos said that minors are sort of being forced to work as sacadas because of poverty so the best solution is, give the families of sacadas alternative livelihood so that their children need not join their parents in going to Negros as sacadas.
“We are presently conducting a series of labor forums with the sacadas in the different municipalities. We are gathering as much information as we can which we will use in formulating livelihood programs for the sacadas. Among these livelihood programs are hog fattening, hog raising,†Nallos said.
The Sacada Desk is also coming up with policies to prevent the hiring of minors as sacadas.
“We are talking with the parents and the local officials. We are doing our best to inculcate into their minds that working as a sacada is dangerous for the young people. We always emphasize that minors should be in school and not out there in the sugar fields of Negros,†Nallos stressed, adding that his office is coming up with a program to help the minors go back to school.
Nallos said that in their recent labor forum in Barbaza town, he met Jay, a 16-year-old sacada from Brgy. Igpalge, Barbaza, Antique.
“At a young age of 15 he started to work in Negros Occidental to help his family. The eldest among five siblings, Jay felt the need to work to help his family survive. He only finished Grade 6. Now, Jay is 16 and has no choice but go to Negros to work as a sacada again having got P7,000 antecepo from a labor contractor,†Nallos said.
Antecepo is an advance payment to a sacada given by a recruiter to ensure that the recipient would work with his team when the harvest season for sugar cane comes. Usually, the recruiter gives out antecepo in June while actual harvest work starts on October and usually lasts until April.
The antecepo ranges from P7,000 to P10,000 depending on the recruiter and owner of the hacienda. It is being deducted from the salaries or earnings of the sacada within the first two months of work.
According to Mr. Nallos, Jay said that if he only has another job or another way to help his parents, he would not go to Negros to work as a sacada.
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