THE chief prober of the investigating Senate Blue Ribbon Committee was prompted to suspend a hearing on what has been billed as “state-sponsored smuggling” of sugar after several Cabinet officials did not attend the hearing, with only Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin showing up.
Bersamin explained to the presiding committee chairman, Sen. Francis Tolentino why certain Cabinet officials invited to shed light on the controversy regarding Sugar Order No. 6, could not attend, even as he assured the probe panel, “but the Executive Secretary will always be at your disposal.”
The Blue Ribbon inquiry was based on a resolution filed by Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who earlier had revealed that the sugar imports that were the subject of Sugar Order (SO) No. 6 were actually already in Philippine ports days before the SO 6 was issued.
The investigation was meant to ascertain also if the SO 6 provisions may be opened to abuse, patronage and cartelization.
At Monday’s public hearing, Senator Tolentino discussed Senate Resolution No. 497 which aims to tackle the entries of sugar shipments in the Philippine ports ahead of the issuance of SO 6.
Tolentino lamented, however, “I noticed the absence of several invited resource persons, notably members of the Cabinet who should have been here and give us critical information and testimony.”
He also noticed “specifically the absence of National Economic and Development Authority [Neda] Sec. Arsenio Balisacan, former Sugar Regulatory Administration [SRA] administrator David John Alba, Sec. Alfredo E. Pascual of the Department of Trade and Industry, and Usec. Domingo Panganiban of the Department of Agriculture,” Tolentino noted.
He explained, before seeking his panel members’ concurrence in suspending the hearing, that, “we will not be able to dig into its contents [documents] without the persons I mentioned.”
The chief prober stressed that the personal testimonies of the no-show witnesses are crucial to the ongoing probe.
“They are vital to the investigation that this committee will be undertaking. It might be difficult for us to continue without them,” he stressed.
Bersamin told senators that Balisacan and Pascual were still overseas on official missions; same with Panganiban. As for Alba, Bersamin noted that the former resigned his SRA post for health reasons, and as far as he knew, would undergo certain procedures. However, he promised to help the committee in getting Alba to appear by June.
Still, Hontiveros lamented the absence of Agriculture Undersecretary Panganiban who, she said, should shed light on the controversial importation of 440,000 metric tons of sugar ahead of the issuance of Sugar Order No. 6.
Hontiveros noted that the move was “made without the approval of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, concurrent Department of Agriculture [DA] secretary.”
She likewise questioned the DA’s selection of three sugar traders for supposedly giving them the “opportunity to control” sugar prices, in possible violation of anti-smuggling laws, and to the detriment of Filipino consumers.
“I really hope that we get to the bottom of this issue,” the opposition senator stressed, noting that “from the evidence I have seen so far, it seems to me, a case of ignorance; violation of our laws by government implementors at best; and state-sponsored smuggling at worst.”
At the same time, Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito lamented “lack of improvement” in the sugarcane industry in the Philippines even after the enactment of Republic Act (RA) No. 10659 (Sugarcane Industry Development Law) and RA 10845 (Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law) in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
At the same hearing, Ejercito aired disappointment in the government agencies’ dependence on importation option instead of developing the industry in sugar-producing regions, such as the Negros Region.
“Where are we now? After seven years, had the agency properly implemented the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law and the Sugar Cane Industry Development Act,” Ejercito said, “ the sugar cane industry in Negros would have been in a better position now.”
The lawmaker lamented, “It is sad that despite passing the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law they grew accustomed to importation,” noting that “smuggling might have been eliminated but the problem shifted to importation.”