Panganiban, SRA execs required to attend Senate probe into ‘state-sponsored’ sugar smuggling — Tolentino

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) officials are required to participate in the Senate blue ribbon committee probe into the alleged “state-sponsored” sugar smuggling, Senator Francis Tolentino said Tuesday.

The chairperson of the Blue Ribbon panel made the remark when asked if they will require the officials to attend the investigation scheduled next week.

Asked if Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin will likewise be compelled to face the panel, Tolentino said “Depende. Tingnan natin ‘yung submissions nila kasi pinagsubmit ko ng position papers lahat sila.”

The senator explained that the schedule of the investigation was moved as there were new developments in the appointments of SRA officials and Panganiban was out of the country.

In a previous notice sent to the members of the Blue Ribbon and the Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform panels, Tolentino said the April 25 hearing was moved to a later date due to unavailability of resource persons.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros earlier filed a proposed Senate Resolution 497 seeking a Blue Ribbon committee probe into the alleged irregular sugar importation last February 9 involving 260 20-foot containers of sugar from Thailand.

Hontiveros had said that the February 9 shipments could not have been covered by Sugar Order No. 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.

She said 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) gave the 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…”

Hontiveros also questioned Panganiban’s alleged "favored sugar importers," whom, she said, may gain billions from sugar importation.

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

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

The Blue Ribbon committee recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against an Agriculture official and three former Sugar Regulatory Administration officials over the controversial SO No. 4.—AOL, GMA Integrated News