Pimentel prods Blue Ribbon to start probe into ‘government-sponsored’ sugar smuggling

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Friday prodded the Senate blue ribbon committee to start the investigation into the alleged “government-sponsored” sugar smuggling.

Pimentel said this as more than two weeks have passed since Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned the February 9 arrival of 260 20-foot containers of sugar from Thailand which was supposedly not covered by a Sugar Order.

“Kung ‘di kumikilos ang executive branch and there is an issue na dapat tingnan, nand’yan ngayon ang Congress na pwede nating sabihin na second line of defense," the senator said in an online interview.

"We hope the Senate blue ribbon will investigate this kasi mas malalim pa ito saka mas madali na namin 'tong maintindihan with what we have learned from the first investigation,” he added.

Hontiveros earlier filed a proposed Senate Resolution 497 seeking a Blue Ribbon committee probe into the entries of sugar in Philippine ports ahead of the issuance of Sugar Order No. 6.

Unlike the first sugar “fiasco” which only involves the alleged unauthorized issuance of Sugar Order No 4, Pimentel believes the lastest sugar issue, which involved Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, is deeper because the shipments have already arrived in the country.

“Mas mabigat itong situation na ito dahil una nga, ‘yung the legality of the sugar order 'yan eh—'yun 'yung issue noon e... Ito, walang Sugar Order at andyan na ang sugar sa ating ports,” he said.

“Eh di mas malala ito because this is not only a lack of authority in issuing the Sugar Order, there’s not even a Sugar Order and there [are] now some other admin orders to release the sugar, which is not a Sugar Order,” he added.

Hontiveros earlier said that the February 9 shipments could not have been covered by Sugar Order 6, as the allocation for this would only start on February 24. It was also not covered by earlier orders, as the earliest arrival date would be on March 1.

Hontiveros said Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban — who represented President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the Sugar Regulatory Administration Board — had a January 12 letter addressed to one of the alleged sugar importers of the questioned importation, saying the allocation was “per instruction of Executive Secretary [Lucas] Bersamin.”

Interpreting the memorandum issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary as an approval to proceed with the importation, Panganiban said he instructed “three capable and accredited companies to proceed with the importation of sugar provided that they agree to reduce the prices of sugar.”

On March 2, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has given its go-signal for the release of the imported sugar that was flagged by Hontiveros as not covered by earlier sugar orders.

The go-ahead signal was issued by Panganiban  “considering that allocations under Sugar Order No. 6, Series of 2022-2023 had been duly awarded, and considering further the Memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated January 13, 2023, and the Memorandum from the Office of the Senior Undersecretary of the Department Agriculture on even date…”

In August last year, the Senate blue ribbon committee investigated the alleged unauthorized issuance of Sugar Order No. 4, which would have allowed the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.

The Senate blue ribbon committee recommended administrative and criminal charges against an Agriculture official and three former Sugar Regulatory Administration officials over the controversial SO No. 4.

But the Senate minority bloc disagreed with the panel's report on the sugar fiasco, insisting on the liability of former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez.—AOL, GMA Integrated News