Zubiri calls on SRA officials to resign amid ‘illegal’ sugar importation order

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Saturday called on Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) officials involved in signing the illegal importation order for 300,000 tons of sugar to resign.

Zubiri issued the call after Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles Cruz-Angeles said Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian resigned from his post as undersecretary for operations and chief of staff to the Secretary of Agriculture, a post President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also holds.

Cruz-Angeles said Sebastian apologized to the Chief Executive for having signed Sugar Order No. 4 without the expressed approval of Marcos, who as DA secretary, is also the chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Board.

“Ako ay nananawagan na sa SRA na kung puwede, mag-resign na kayo. Laman ng lahat ng news yung illegal Sugar Order No. 4. Dapat po kung may delicadeza po kayo mag-resign na po kayo. Nananawagan na po ako, mag-resign na po sila,” Zubiri said.

(I am calling on the SRA that they must resign, if possible. The matter about the illegal Sugar Order No. 4 has been reported by all news outlets. If you have a sense of decency, you should resign. I am calling for them to resign.)

Zubiri also said that cases should be filed against them after they tried to defy the President’s order.

“Cases should be file against them. Ipinahamak nila si Pangulong Marcos. Dapat mag-resign na sila at kasuhan, turuan ng leksyon. For the record, kasi sabi nila wala nang asukal. Kasinungalingan po yan,” he said.

(Cases should be filed against them. They embarrassed President Marcos. They should resign and be sued, and taught a lesson. For the record, they lied because they said there was no sugar.)

He also said that he would ask for an investigation on the attempted importation.

Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista earlier said the Philippines needed to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar to stabilize the commodity’s price in the market.

However, Marcos rejected the proposal, Cruz-Angeles said on Wednesday.

Cruz-Angeles said an investigation is also ongoing into the "unauthorized" signing of the document directing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar on top of what had already been imported in May of this year. — DVM/KG, GMA News