Hontiveros floats possible charges vs. Panganiban over alleged 'government-sponsored' sugar smuggling

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday floated possible administrative and criminal charges against Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban over the importation of 260 20-foot containers of sugar from Thailand.

Hontiveros issued the statement a day after Panganiban said he proceeded with an immediate importation of sugar as he considered a memorandum released by the Office of the Executive Secretary a sugar order.

Hontiveros questioned anew the Department of Agriculture's "handpicked" companies who imported tons of sugar into the country, saying this is how cartels are formed.

She added that importing 450,000 metric tons of sugar can be considered an economic sabotage.

"Ayon sa batas, sa Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, bawal ang pagpasok sa bansa ng asukal na hindi bababa sa P1,000,000 ang halaga, at walang tamang permit," she said.

(Our laws, specifically the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, penalizes as such the entry of sugar worth not less than P1,000,000 without valid permits.)

"Kaya sa pag-amin kahapon ni Department of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban na sila ang namili at nag-utos sa tatlong kompanya na mag-import, sana ay handa silang humarap sa mga seryosong kasong kriminal at administratibo," she added.

(So when Department of Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban yesterday admitted freely that they were the ones who handpicked and ordered the three companies to import sugar, we hope that they are ready to face serious criminal and administrative charges.)

GMA News Online has reached out to the DA and to Panganiban's office for their comment, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

Hontiveros further said only the Sugar Regulatory  Administration (SRA), and not Panganiban on his own, has the authority to issue permits and licenses like sugar orders to import the commodity into the country under the SRA charter.

"Pitong buwan na mula nang mabulgar ang sugar import fiasco, bagong fiasco ulit? Sino na naman ang nag-utos niyan? Sino at ano ang nag-udyok sa kanila na gawin ang ika niya ay 'hasty decision' na yan?" Hontiveros asked.

(Seven months since the sugar import fiasco was first exposed, do we have another fiasco here? Who are the masterminds again responsible? What- or who - were the reasons as to why the USec. was compelled to make such 'hasty decisions'?)

"Once, and for all, para mapanatag naman ang mga consumers, nananawagan ako kay Presidente: lagdaan na nila ang isang maayos na sugar order na hawig sa mga dating sugar orders na pangmaramihang importers," she added.

(Once and for all, for the peace of mind and wallets of our consumers, I urge the President to already lead the signing of an above-board sugar order akin to past sugar orders authorizing multiple importers to import sugar.)

The SRA recently released an order authorizing the importation of 440,000 metric tons of refined sugar even without the signature of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who sits as chairman of the SRA Board in his capacity as Secretary of Agriculture.

SO No. 6, uploaded on the SRA website, showed that the document was transmitted to the Office of the President on February 9, 2023.

The document was signed by SRA Administrator David John Thaddeus Alba (vice-chairperson), SRA Board members Mitzi Mangwag (millers’ representative), and Pablo Luiz Azcona (planters’ representative).

Also a signatory in the latest order was Panganiban.

Hontiveros said the prices of goods will not be fair if the SRA will not follow the law.

"Bakit mistulang gobyerno na mismo ang bumuo ng tatlong kompanya ang magdidikta ng presyo ng asukal para sa Pilipinas? Kung tutuusin at hindi dadaan sa cartel, pwedeng pababain ng 440,000 metric ton ng validly imported na asukal ang presyo ng asukal sa ating bansa pabalik sa P60 kada kilo," she said.

(Why does the government seem to enable three companies to dictate the price of sugar in the Philippines? The thing is, the valid importation of 440,000 metric tons of sugar — one which did not pass through any cartel — could help a lot in bringing down the price of sugar to P60 per kilo. )

Last Tuesday, Hontiveros called for an investigation into the February 9 arrival of 260 20-foot containers of sugar from Thailand, which she said were not covered by sugar orders.

Hontiveros said Panganiban — who represented Marcos in the SRA Board — had a January 12 letter addressed to one of the importers saying that the allocation was “per instruction of Executive Secretary [Lucas] Bersamin.”

The SRA — through Board Member Pablo Azcona—said it was currently validating Hontiveros' claims, and that the supposed letter from Panganiban needed to be validated for the agency to give its reaction.

In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Azcona said the DA was “allowed to do importation as well.”

However, the SRA board official said that "if the letter is valid then we have to sit down with the people concerned and ask why such a letter exists and what the program is all about."

On Wednesday, Hontiveros said Marcos and Bersamin could shed light on the alleged government-sponsored sugar smuggling. —KBK, GMA Integrated News