(CHRISTIAN DALE)

MASUSING iniimbestigahan ngayon ng Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) ang mapanlinlang na kautusan na mag-angkat ng 300,000 metric tons (MT) ng asukal para pagtakpan ang “hoarding” na ginawa ng ilang sugar traders.

Sa ulat, sinabi ni Executive Secretary Atty. Vic Rodriguez na tinitingnan ng kanyang tanggapan ang reports hinggil sa unlawful importation order na pinupursige ng ilang mangangalakal o negosyante na nais ipalabas ang asukal na kanilang itinago matapos mag-hoard.

Sinabi pa niya na hindi mailabas ng hindi pinangalanang sugar traders ang itinagong asukal dahil pababagsakin nito ang presyo.

Matatandaang, makikita sa official website ng Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) na naka-upload ang nilagdaang kopya ng Sugar Order (SO) 4 na may petsang Agosto 9.

Sinabi ni Rodriguez na ipinag-utos na niya sa SRA na alisin ang posting ng SO 4 dahil hindi naman ito inaprubahan at nilagdaan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., pinuno ng Department of Agriculture (DA) at chairperson ng SRA Board.

Pinabulaanan din ni Rodriguez na binigyan si DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian ng awtorisasyon na lumagda ng kontrata kabilang na ang sugar orders, “on behalf of the President.”

“No, we even sent him a list of his ‘authorities’ that didn’t include signing for the President as his representative in the SRA,” ang pahayag ni Rodriguez.

Tinuran pa rin nito na walang advisory na ipinadala sa kanya o kay Pangulong Marcos ukol sa Sugar Regulatory Board’s meeting para sa approval ng SO 4.

“We found out about it only when my staff reported that the SRA posted the order on its website,” aniya pa rin sabay sabing  “I thought that this was clear for Sebastian when he officially asked the President through my office for ‘guidance’ on an issue that was less important than the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar.”

Tinukoy ni Rodriguez ang July 29 memorandum ni Sebastian na humihingi kay Pangulong Marcos ng “guidance” hinggil sa reclassification ng imported sugar mula “C” o Reserve Sugar at gawing “B” o Domestic Sugar.

Sa ilalim ng memorandum, sinabi ni Sebastian na ang total volume ng asukal para sa reclassification ay may kabuuang 62,826.60 MT ng asukal.

Bahagi ito ng 200,000 MT importation na awtorisado ng SO 3.

“His request was made July 29, and we haven’t acted on it, so the SRA hasn’t released those sugar stocks,” ayon kay Rodriguez.

Pinanindigan naman ni Rodriguez na nag-convene ng meeting si Sebastian kasama ang SRA board nang walang pahintulot mula kay Pangulong Marcos.

“As late as August 7, there was no clearance to do what they did. Sebastian knows from several instances in the past that when he asked for clearance for some decision from the President, and if I don’t reply on his request, it means the President hasn’t decided yet,” aniya pa rin.