I.

INTRODUCTION
Around 1975, Bukidnon Sugar Milling Co., Inc. was the first sugar mill in Bukidnon that
was established by Marubeni Corporation of Japan in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon
which is 11 kilometers away from Poblacion Quezon, Bukidnon and 140 kilometers away from
Cagayan de Oro City. In the succeeding years, the sugar cane agricultural development prospered
progressively. But around 1983, crisis of the sugar industry began and it did not spare Bukidnon
which triggered a steep down trend in production. As a result, the company failed to settle its
financial obligations. Thus, its assets were foreclosed by PNB and subsequently turned over to
APT for privatization. A group of sugar traders organized a new corporation called the Busco
Sugar Milling Co., Inc. and acquired the assets from APT in an open bidding on August 3, 1988.
Busco Sugar Milling Co., Inc. was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission with
an authorized capital of P800 Million and a paid up capital of P400 Million on September 16,
1988. Upon take-over, the new owners embarked on a rehabilitation and expansion program. In
keeping with their commitments to the sugarcane planters, it conducted its initial milling
campaign. Since then, it has successfully completed fourteen (14) milling campaigns producing
about 11.15% of the total national sugar production each year.
Since its construction in 1975 until its capacity expansion reached 10000 TCD in 1993,
Busco had a total of three units of 1.7 MW steam turbine generators rated at 460V 3PH 60HZ. In
addition, two Diesel Gensets were commissioned rated at 750 KW and 400 KW at 480V used as
stand-by units. Shortly thereafter, an 8,000 KW steam turbine generator rated at 4160V 3PH 60
HZ was commissioned in April 1994 to supply the additional energy demand. All of these
equipment including the mill drives requiring super-heated steam for the prime mover power, are
supported by four Boilers with three Boilers rated at 60 TPH with 20 kg./cm2 pressure and one
70 TPH with 31 kg./cm2 pressure. To complete its cogeneration facility, a 10 MVA 416/69 KV
outdoor substation interconnecting with the National Power Corporation Mindanao Grid was
commissioned on April 4, 1995 to supply 4 MW of its excess power to NPC.
The acquisition of the NASUREFCO Refinery by Busco further added 2.2 MW steam
turbine generator and a 50-tons per hour Clarke Chapman Boiler. The Bukidnon Milling District
is now the second biggest sugarcane milling district in the entire Philippines. It encompasses the
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towns of Quezon, Valencia, Malaybalay, Lantapan, Cabanglasan, Sumilao, Impasugong, San

Fernando, Maramag, Pangantucan, Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Dangcagan, Kibawe, Kadingilan, and
Damulog, all within the province of Bukidnon and with its expansion in Wao, Lanao Del Sur and
Banisilan, North Cotabato, in the heartland of Mindanao. Busco Milling District generates some
P 3.5 B in the form of revenue from raw and refined sugar and molasses. It contributes over P
300 M to the government in the form of taxes. Consistent with its Corporate Vision, Busco has
acquired the existing 550 MT NASUREFCO Refinery at P310 Million in an open bidding with
APT. The Refinery was turned over to Busco last June 27, 1996. Its vision of forward integration
has been substantially achieved.
After the turn over, Busco has acquired the services of consultants from the Tate and Lyle
Ltd. to assess the refinerys machinery and equipment. A little over a year of rehabilitation works
were done, the refinery has started its initial year of operations on July 1997 and has a targeted
production of 2,000,000 bags refined sugar every season. With technology shared in refining
process from Central Azucarera de Don Pedro in Batangas, Busco reached 12,000-13,000 bags
mark refining capacity last September 1999.
Busco will continue to move to new levels of efficiency and quality. Its sugar refinery is
already equipped with the latest technology in pan automation. A Siemens vacuum pan
automation system is already in place improving product quality and steam economy. A Hoechst
automatic filter press is installed at its filter station, substantially reducing sugar losses thereat.
This had helped increase its refining yields to very high levels. Busco is now complemented by a
work force of 577 employees, most of them were employees from the former company, 476
persons for service contractors e.g. arrastre, security, engineering and janitorial services. Most of
Busco employees reside in company-owned houses and are granted electricity allowance, water,
bus service and other benefits.
II. PROCESS
The manufacture of raw cane sugar starts with washing for the removal of mud and
debris followed by chopping and shredding of the cane by the use of crushers. About 93% of the
juice is then extracted by passing the crushed cane through a series of mills, each of which
consists of three grooved rolls and that exert heavy pressure. Water and weak juices may be
added to help macerate the cane and aid in the extraction. The spent cane or so called bagasse is
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either burned for fuel or used in the plantation. The juice is then screened to remove floating
impurities and treated with lime to coagulate part of the colloidal matter, precipitate some of the
impurities, and change the pH. Phosphoric acid may be added because juices that do not contain
a small amount of phosphates do not clarify well. Lime in slight excess over that theoretically
required to precipitate all the phosphate is then added. The mixture is heated with high-pressure
steam and settled in the large tanks called clarifiers or in a continuous settlers or thickeners. To
recover the sugar from the settled-out muds, continuous rotary-drum vacuum filters are generally
used. The cake constitutes 1%-4% of the weight of the cane charged and is used as manure. The
filtrate, a clarified juice of high lime content contains about 85% water. It is evaporated to
approximately 45% water in triple- or quadruple-effect evaporators to a thick, pale yellow juice.
The resulting thick juice goes to the first of three single-effect vacuum pans where it is
evaporated to a predetermined degree of supersaturation. Sugar-crystal nuclei are added and by
the addition of thick juice and controlled evaporation, the crystals are grown to the desired size
in these strike pans. At this optimum point, the pan is mostly filled with sugar crystals with
about 10% water. The mixture of syrup and crystals also called as massecuite is dumped into a
crystallizer, which is a horizontal agitated tank equipped with cooling coils. Here additional
sucrose deposits on the crystals already formed and crystallization is completed. The massecuite
is then centrifuged to remove the syrup. The crystals are quality high-grade raw sugar, and the
syrup is re-treated to obtain one or two more crops of crystals. The final liquid after reworking is
known as blackstrap molasses. The light brown raw sugar contains approximately 97.8%
sucrose. Furthermore, the first step in sugar refining is called affination where the raw sugar
crystals are treated with heavy syrup in order to remove the film of adhering molasses. This
strong syrup dissolves little or none of the sugar but does soften or dissolve the coating of
impurities. This operation is performed in minglers, which are heavy scroll conveyors fitted with
strong mixing flights. The resulting syrup is removed by a centrifuge, and the sugar cake is
sprayed with water. The crystals are dumped into the melter, where they are dissolved in about
half their weight of hot water, part of which is sweet water from the filter process. The syrup
from the centrifugals is divided, part being diluted and reused as mingler syrup and the
remainder diluted to about 50o Brix and sent either to the char house for clarification and
refiltration or to the pans to be boiled with remelt. The melted, dissolved and washed raw sugar
is then treated by a process known as clarification or defecation either mechanical or chemical
processes can be used. The clarified liquor is filtered and sent to decolorization. The process
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reduces the coloring matter present by 25%-45%, which greatly reduces the size of the
subsequent decolorizers. The carbonation system adds carbon dioxide from scrubbed flue gas to
the melted sugar, which precipitates calcium carbonate. The precipitate carries down with it over
60% of the coloring matter and is removed by filtration.

FACILITY OF BUSCO

III.

COMPANY

PHILOSOPHY
Mission

Strive to provide the best milling service to the sugarcane planters by increasing its capacity,
improving its productivity, upgrading and harnessing of the technological skills of its manpower,
and reducing its cost. In doing so, it will attain the level of global competitiveness,
Seek new products to develop, produce and market, thus enhancing the value of its sugar
operations.
Create meaningful professional and personal advancement among its employees.
Accept that their prime resources are the talents and skills of its employees; they will receive
benefits and compensation at par in the industry. Individual initiative shall be commensurately
recognized, as the Company grows.
Be responsible corporate citizen in the communities where we work and in the society in which
we live.
Generate above-average returns to its investors.
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 Achieve all these by committing ourselves to the day-to-day practice of the value of integrity,
the spirit of innovativeness and teamwork, the sense of service to others and the constant desire
for excellence.
Vision
Busco visualized to become a leader of the sugar industry in the Philippines. It must earn the
reputation of being the best in technical skills, of having the latest technology, the lowest cost
structure and a top sugar producer. It shall become the Asian Sugar Industry Showcase by the
first decade of the 21st century.
Goals and Objectives
Produce sugar that is competitive with both local and foreign producers from the standpoint of
lower costs and better quality, by increasing factory recovery to 85%, production of 3.0 million
piculs by the next crop year, manpower productivity to 0.476 man-hour per picul; reducing
factory downtime to less than 200 hours, eliminating overtime work and adopting an early
retirement scheme for qualified employees.
Increase sugarcane production by encouraging/undertaking plantation development by at least
15,000 hectares. To attain these possibilities for corporate, cooperative, joint venture and/or
contract farms shall be explored.
Attract more individual planters by increasing milling capacity in order to reduce waiting time
to 4 hours, providing them with the necessary infrastructural, educational, training and other
support services required.
Institutionalize training, value and cultural formation seminars in the company to inculcate the
necessary virtues and know-how to the manpower. Review regularly performance of personnel
and provide recognition and reward to these known top performers.
Livelihood Projects
Organic Fertilizer Project
This project made use of the mills by-product, mud cake, converting it into an organic
fertilizer. At present, this project is managed by the Busco Organic Fertilizer Workers MultiPurpose Cooperative owned by employees of the project. Up to this time, Busco continue to
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think and plan of livelihood projects that are adaptable to the community as well as augment the
income of its employees especially the seasonal employees during off-season.
IV.ORGANIZATIONAL SET-UP

Employees of sugarmill, its cane/tree farm

577

Contractors, arrastre workers

476

Sugarcane farmers and planters

Farm workers, operators, farm hands

5,530

12,000

Seasonal cane cutters and loaders

9,000

Truck drivers and helpers for 1,200 trucks during milling season

2,400

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Workers in the support industries like truck service/repair shops, food

growing and preparation, etc.

1,000

ESTIMATED NO. OF WORKERS DIRECTLY BENEFITED BY THE SUGAR

INDUSTRY IN BUKIDNON

31,000

BUSCO SUGAR MILLING CO., INC.

JULIO O. SY SR.
President
Board Of Directors
LEONG CIO
CHANG

HENRY K. CHANG

JAMES S. CHUA

ROMAN OZAETA JR.

RODOLFO T. SIM

JULIO O. SY SR.

ROMAN T. YAP

GO ENG UY

RAMON V. GO

CLEOTILDE GUBATON
Process Superintendent

REY O. BALASICO
Refinery Manager

SHEILA
MARIE PERALES
Process Control
Material Analyst

BERNARD T. SIM

V. PLANT IMPRESSIONS
Upon setting our foot on Busco Sugar Milling Co. Inc., thrills for a new adventure fills
everyones heart knowing that company is new to us and possess new technology with truly
relate to chemical engineering world. As we enter the plant site, we first set for a brief orientation
on the companys background. And after this, the tour began. The first thing which we saw while
venturing was the packing station of the refined sugar, I was amaze how the company mange to
pack the products that they have. Then after this, our tour guide start discussing the whole
process. From how a cane of sugar became a fine grains which complete every coffee that we
take which wake we for our overnight study, truly great. This was really amazing, seeing the

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great equipment that they have and learning the principle behind each of it. Its like asking
yourself, is this for real, the unit ops that we study lives in here. Truly amazing.
The good thing about the plant is that they did great things to the community, from jobs
that they provide for each household to the livelihood projects that they provide that help each
people to grow with in the community and insuring them that Busco will help them in their
needs. Its great to hear the good feedbacks of the people around the site. I was also quit amaze
on how the plant do not contribute much of the pollution, knowing that the plant treat well the
waste that they have. And release it to the environment with a negligible amount of pollutant.
For almost 2 hours of venturing the Busco Sugar Milling Co. Inc. I realize that the whole
company serves the people well. Its greatness are not measured by the sweetness of their
products but how they manage to have a good credibility to everyone.

VI. CONCLUSIONS
Cakes and breads will never be sweet without sugar. Thus this element play a great part
on satisfying our craving for sweetness. And this is provide by Sugar milling company like
Busco sugar milling company. With their new way on obtaining refined sugar from sugar cane,
we could be sure that the sugar that we take is safe and healthy.
Busco Milling Co. Inc. employ the process which is truly safe to everyone. Regulating
every action that they make and making sure that the products that they have is in its excellence.
Making sure that the consumers will never regret in purchasing their products. The credibility of
the company did not only lie on their products but also how they manage to help the community
around them and making sure the safety of Mother Nature.
Upon setting off from Busco, I will never forget the spirit of cooperation and hospitability
that they possess. Its truly a unforgettable experience.
VII. DOCUMENTATION

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