Hontiveros asks if rift exists between DA, econ managers amid sugar issue

Is there a rift between the economic managers and the Department of Agriculture?

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros posed this question on Monday as she said there was a lack of "concrete plans" to address the sugar shortage in the country.

In a statement, Hontiveros brought up President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s earlier pronouncement that sugar refineries will soon be running at full capacity.

"This is good news, but it came a few months late, and the promise still hasn't been kept. If the news story and clips are complete, the President didn't say that he wanted to bring sugar prices back down to at least where they were in 2021," she said.

The senator was responding to media queries on Marcos' statement over the weekend that the government is fixing the problems faced by the sugar industry.

"To this day, we still don't know what the President is trying to say or even if he is trying to say something. May rekomendasyon na ang economic managers kung paano sosolusyunan ang problema sa asukal, pero bakit wala pa ring mga konkretong plano na lumalabas?" she asked.

(The economic managers already have recommendations on how to solve the sugar problem, so why have no concrete plans come out yet?)

"Mukhang may nag-uumpugang bato sa pagitan ng economic managers at ng mga itinalaga ni Presidente sa Department of Agriculture at Sugar Regulatory Administration," she added.

(It looks like there is a rift between the economic managers and those appointed by the President to the DA and the SRA.)

GMA News Online has reached out to Malacañang, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista for comment but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

Earlier, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Arsenio Balisacan said they are crafting a strategy to address sugar supply woes and soaring prices.

The first few months of the Marcos administration have been hounded by controversies involving the alleged illegal issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO4) authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.

The SO4 was reportedly signed without the knowledge and express approval of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who as the concurrent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) also sits as the chairman of the Sugar Board. — BM, GMA News