02/09/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐳𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐋𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐚, 𝐈𝐧𝐜.
𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘇𝘂𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗟𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗮, 𝗜𝗻𝗰. (𝗖𝗔𝗖𝗜) stands as one of the most historic and 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘴 𝘖𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴.
𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
Founded in 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔 by the Elizalde and Ynchausti families at Hacienda Esperanza in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, CACI was formally incorporated on 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟭, 𝟭𝟵𝟭𝟴. By 1920, the central absorbed neighboring mills such as Sta. Teresita and Kanlaon Mills, marking the beginning of its full-scale operations for the 𝟭𝟵𝟮𝟬–𝟮𝟭 crop year.
𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
In its early years, 𝗖𝗔𝗖𝗜 operated with two crushers and nine rolls, but continuous development soon followed. By 𝟭𝟵𝟮𝟱, the central had expanded to three mills, and after 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝗜, it grew further to six mills. The 𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟬𝘀 modernization program introduced larger facilities such as the 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹, allowing the central to process up to 10,000 tons of cane per day, making it 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.
𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
In 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟱, management of CACI was taken over by 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘇𝘂𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗗𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼 (𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗣) of the Roxas Group, which invested heavily in new technology and equipment to improve efficiency and production yields. By the 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟮–𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟯 crop year, the central produced a record of around 3.4 million bags of sugar.
Recognizing its historic role in Philippine sugar production, the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 (𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗣) installed a Level II historical marker in 2003, cementing its place as one of the country’s pioneering sugar centrals.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐬
CACI was also known for its unique railway network, spanning nearly 80 kilometers, where steam locomotives—popularly called the “𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗿𝘀”—hauled sugarcane from haciendas to the central. These locomotives became enduring symbols of La Carlota’s heritage and a source of pride for the community.
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
In 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬, Roxas Holdings, Inc. sold the La Carlota sugar mill and ethanol plant to𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗨𝗥𝗖). Today, under URC La Carlota, the facility continues to play a vital role in the sugar industry, ensuring that the century-old legacy of the central remains alive.
✅ The history of 𝗖𝗔𝗖𝗜 reflects not only the industrial progress of Negros Occidental but also the resilience and transformation of the Philippine sugar industry across generations.
