Malacañang investigating “illegal” sugar importation order
Sugar importation resolution illegal
Malacañang announced on Thursday, August 11, that it was looking into the actions of authorities who authorized the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar without the consent of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the acting head of agriculture.
“An inquiry is proceeding to see if any actions can be identified that would make the President lose faith in his personnel or to see if there is malice or negligence at play,” Trixie Cruz-Angeles, the press secretary, stated this in a press conference on Thursday. “In such a case, if such conclusions are reached, then the only determination that would be left would be how many heads are going to roll.”
On Wednesday, August 10, the resolution was posted to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) website.
Marcos had given his approval for the importation, according to SRA Sugar Order No. 4. Angeles said that the directive was not signed by the President, who is in charge of agriculture and is responsible for the SRA, hours after it circulated.
Angeles earlier stated that the resolution is “illegal” and that Leocadio Sebastian, the Agriculture Undersecretary who signed the paper on behalf of the Marcoses, was “not authorized.”
Angeles said that Vic Rodriguez, the executive secretary, had earlier requested that agriculture officials create an importation plan, not a resolution.
When questioned, Angeles responded that there was no way the resolution’s release could have been the result of “miscommunication.”
“No. In the absence of the Sugar Regulatory Board, you don’t convene it.
When questioned, Angeles responded that there was no way the resolution’s release could have been the result of “miscommunication.”
“No. In the absence of the President and in the absence of any such approval on his behalf, you do not call a meeting of the Sugar Regulatory Board. The meeting was not approved by him. The President must explicitly consent in order for you to call a meeting of the board, and he didn’t do that, she added.
As long as the inquiry is ongoing, according to Angeles, the authorities, including Sebastian, have not been placed on precautionary suspension. She did not, however, rule out the prospect.
