Tolentino: Blue Ribbon waiting for SRA documents before launching sugar smuggling probe

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee is still waiting for more documents from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) before it launches the probe into the alleged government-sponsored smuggling of sugar, Senator Francis Tolentino said Wednesday.

“I am still waiting for the complete documents coming from SRA…Thus far, ang pinadala lang ng SRA yung Sugar Order Number 6 so kulang-kulang pa, plus nag-resign yung Mr. Alba, [the] SRA head,” Tolentino, chairman of the panel, said in an online interview with reporters.

Last week, Tolentino addressed concerns about the blue ribbon committee’s supposed “inaction” on the sugar importation issue and vowed that the panel will “take action on pressing issues involving malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance” by government officials.

The Senate minority bloc has been prodding the Senate blue ribbon committee to launch the probe into alleged irregular sugar importation last February 9 involving 260 20-foot containers of sugar from Thailand.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros earlier filed a proposed Senate Resolution 497 seeking a Blue Ribbon committee probe into the issue.

Hontiveros 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. on the SRA 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) gave 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…”

Last week, Malacañang confirmed that SRA chief David Thaddeus Alba resigned from his post due to a “worsening health condition.”

This is not the first time that the Senate blue ribbon committee was asked to investigate an issue related to sugar importation.

In August last year, the 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. — BM, GMA Integrated News