SEN. Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, has asked former Sugar Regulatory Administration administrator Hermenegildo Serafica to submit an inventory of sugar supply in the country to determine if there was indeed a sugar shortage which prompted the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4.
President Marcos Jr. early last month rejected the order which would have allowed the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. Malacañang said the order was unauthorized. Marcos later said a smaller volume of sugar, or about 150,000 MT, could be imported.
Tolentino, during last Tuesday’s committee hearing, said he wants to specifically see the sugar supply inventory in warehouses and those previously released, to determine if there was necessity to import 300,000 MT of sugar.
Serafica, however, said that the sugar inventory is not available for presentation during the hearing, which prompted Tolentino to scold the former SRA administrator.
“Mr. Serafica, ilang araw na tayo naghe-hearing (we have been conducting this hearing for days now). You have yet to provide an inventory list of all sugar within and (those) released from warehouses,” Tolentino said.
He said an inventory of sugar supply should be made available so lawmakers will learn how a sugar import plan and a sugar market analysis are made.
Tolentino has called for an investigation based on the privilege speech of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on the sugar importation fiasco.
Last Tuesday was the second hearing.
Tolentino said among the issues that need to be resolved are whether there was real sugar shortage to justify the crafting of SO4, whether sugar groups were consulted before the issuance of SO4, whether the sugar industry was misled to believe that President Marcos really wants SO4 be issued to address the reported looming sugar crisis, whether former agriculture undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian was authorized to issue SO4, and whether there was a valid corporate action of the part of the SRA.
Sebastian, who signed the order on behalf of the President who is concurrent agriculture secretary, told a House meeting on August 15 that the importation was needed because of a “clear indication of the rapidly diminishing supply of sugar.”
“Current supply is projected to run out in August 2022 this month,” he also said.
Marcos has said there is enough supply of sugar until October and importation may be considered then but only for about 150,000 metric tons.
The sugar mess has promoted Marcos to reorganize the SRA. The government has also been conduction “visitations” of warehouses suspected to be hoarding sugar.
