AFTER just three hearings, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee yesterday ended its inquiry into the botched importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.
The panel will come out with a report on Thursday, said its chair Sen. Francis Tolentino who also hinted that charges will be recommended against those involved in the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO4) which Malacañang has said was unauthorized. He did not identify them, saying the information will be included in the committee report.
The third and last hearing received information that government might have eyed the importation of 600,000 MT of sugar, or double the amount that President Marcos Jr. rejected last month.
“What was established is hindi totoo yung 600,000 MT (What was established is that the 600,000 MT is not true),” Tolentino said, referring to a statement made before the panel by Hermenegildo Serafica, former administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
Serafica, who attended the hearing online as he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, said Marcos “mentioned” the possibility of importing 600,000 MT of sugar during a meeting with government officials and stakeholders last August 4, the second meeting held the same day.
But Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, who was compelled to physically attend the hearing after he was issued a subpoena by the committee, denied Marcos floated the idea of importing 600,000 MT of sugar. He said Serafica was “lying” as Marcos asked only for an import plan
“Walang binabanggit na amount in terms of quantity si kagalang-galang na Pangulo pagdating doon sa MT na dapat iangkat. Kaya tayo naipit doon sa import plan pa lang dahil nga hindi kami kumbinsido sa 300,000 MT (The honorable President did not mention any amount in terms of quantity when it comes to the metric tons to be imported. We were not convinced in the 300,000 MT that’s why we’re stuck in the import plan),” Rodriguez said.
Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines who attended the hearing, also said Serafica was “lying.”
“Never heard of the 600,000 MT and the online meeting. I’m very sure he’s (Serafica) lying,” he said.
Lamata said the sugar federation was amenable to 150,000 MT to be imported as said by Marcos, but Serafica made them believe there was a need to import 300,000 MT.
Marcos, in rejecting the importation move last month, said he might be amenable to importing later if there is a need, and a smaller volume like 150,000 MT.
Lamata said that when the stakeholders were consulted, their sentiment was to import only 150,000 MT of refined sugar but has apparently changed as the government will also import 150,000 MT of raw sugar.
“I never signed on for that. We said all refined, so why is there raw sugar?” Lamata said.
Serafica stood his ground, and said there was a second meeting during which Marcos mentioned the 600,000 tons.
MUDDLING THE ISSUE?
Zubiri, in an interview after the hearing, said he does not know the “motive” of Serafica and former SRA board member Aurelio Valderrama in saying the President floated the idea of importing 600,000 MT of sugar to the country.
“I don’t know the motive of these two gentlemen, maybe to muddle the issue. SO4 is hurdled, sikreto nilang ginawa. Hindi nila sinama ang deputy directors. Only Serafica and his assistants. Bakit napaka-secret? May violations na on the process (SO4 is hurdled, they made it secretly as they did not consult the deputy directors. Only Serafica and his assistants. Why so secretive? There are already violations on the process),” Zubiri said.
Zubiri said he is not “lawyering” for Rodriguez or the President when he said he does not believe Serafica’s allegation.
“We just want to know the truth, I don’t want to politicize it. Some people are trying to politicize the issue,” he added.
Serafica told the panel he was at Rodriguez’ office when they held another meeting last August 4 but this time it was a hybrid-type of meeting. He added that Marcos, Valderrama, and other stakeholders attended the hybrid meeting.
He recalled that it was during that meeting when he said that the stakeholders recommended that the country import 300,000 MT of sugar.
“The recommendation of almost all the stakeholders that submitted their recommendation as an offshoot of July 29 farmers, millers, and refiners stakeholders meeting… I don’t recall any objection (from the President and Executive Secretary) at that point in that meeting, your honor,” Serafica said.
Serafica it was after that second meeting last August 4 when Marcos instructed him to present an import plan.
“And in the language of SRA, an import plan is an import program in the form of a draft sugar order,” he said, adding that this became the birthing process of the draft of SO4.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros then asked if there were “other matters discussed” during that second meeting last August 4.
Serafica replied: “Actually in that online meeting with the President, former board member Valderrama was also in that online meeting, and the President mentioned about a volume of 600,000 MT.”
“And I said that Mr. President, that may too much because starting August 1, first farmers have already accepted cane delivery from farmers and anytime this week they will start milling and former board member Valderrama can confirm this, your honor,” Serafica added.
‘TOO MUCH’
Valderrama, who attended the hearing online, confirmed Serafica’s statement.
“Yes, this was discussed in our Zoom meeting together with the President and he mentioned the 600,000, but former administrator Serafica said it might be too much because the milling season is about to open… It was Mr. Serafica who said that, not me, but I was listening to the conversation,” Valderrama added.
Tolentino asked Serafica why it was only yesterday that he brought out the 600,000 MT figure, and not during the previous hearings. He said even the hybrid meeting was “new” to him.
“The figure 600,000 is the first time I heard of that, the online meeting, the first time I heard of that. So why were these not disclosed during your first appearances here, especially your first appearance where we summoned you from your residence in Parañaque. Ngayon voluntary mong dini-disclose,” Tolentino said.
Hontiveros said the new information from Serafica was not mentioned by Rodriguez in his appearance at the first committee hearing.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel asked Rodriguez if the hybrid meeting took place last August 4.
Rodriguez said he will “determine if there was a hybrid meeting and who the participants were.”
BLANKET AUTHORITY
Pimentel said the sugar importation mess could not have happened only if Rodriguez replied to Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian when he asked what the President’s decision was on SO4.
It can be recalled that Sebastian signed SO4 for the President based on a memorandum issued by Rodriguez dated July 15, 2022, which apparently gave him authority to sign and come up with issuances for the President who is the concurrent agriculture secretary.
Rodriguez said he “purposely did not answer him (Sebastian)” since the President has not yet decided on the matter.
Pimentel said, “You could have responded that, ‘We have not made a decision on that.’”
Rodriguez also said it is not true that Sebastian was given blanket authority since the former agriculture undersecretary was always asking for guidance from him on matter concerning the agriculture department.
“Malinaw sa kanya na ang kanyang authority ay limited as early as July 29 (It is clear to him that his authority is limited as early as July 29)… For his every action, he is asking guidance,” he said, adding that it was on July 29 when Sebastian first asked for guidance for the reclassification of sugar stocks.
Rodriguez said he confronted Sebastian on why they passed SO4, and Sebastian said he assumed that is was already “okay” with the President.
After Sugar Order No. 4 was declared “illegal” by Malacañang, Rodriguez said Sebastian wrote a letter dated August 11 where he “humbly offered to be relieved of my designation and responsibilities as chief of staff and agriculture undersecretary.”
“Yung sulat niya nung August 11 ang sabi niya ay hindi resignation (His letter dated August 11 said he is not resigning),” he added.
Richard Palpalato, deputy executive secretary for legal affairs, said career officials like Sebastian can still be appointed to other government posts but “can be fired for a caused after an investigation.” He said there is an ongoing investigation on Sebastian.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Sebastian should have been outright dismissed from the service.
“You only sign ‘for’ the President when there are specific instructions na ‘ipirma mo na ako yan.’(sign for me). So he pointed to a memorandum order or whatever the nomenclature of that order, basically DA has given him powers, basically para siyang (he is like the) acting secretary in the absence of, or unless the president reverses it,” Cayetano said.
