Rodriguez: BBM didn’t want to import 600K MT of sugar

EXECUTIVE Secretary Victor Rodriguez has denied the insinuation that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had mentioned about the possibility of importing 600,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar.

Rodriguez made the remark on Tuesday when senators asked him to confirm or deny the claim of resigned Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo Serafica that Marcos brought the idea of importing 600,000 MT of sugar.

The Senate blue ribbon committee, led by Sen. Francis Tolentino, conducted its third hybrid hearing on the alleged questionable sugar importation scandal under Sugar Order 4.

Serafica, who attended virtually, explained that he did not say explicitly that Marcos “suggested” to import 600,000 MT of sugar.

“Actually, in that online meeting with the President, former [SRA] board member [Aurelio] Valderrama was also in that online meeting, and the President mentioned about a volume of 600,000 metric tons, and I said, ‘Mr. President, that may be too much…,’” he said he recalled saying, since the milling season was about to start then.

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri deplored that the President’s name was dragged into the controversy.

“The President will not come up with a figure at the top of his mind. You better clarify. You are very close to being cited for contempt,” Zubiri also told Serafica.

He asked Rodriguez to confirm or deny Serafica’s statement about the President asking for 600,000 MT.

“I can’t believe it myself,” Zubiri said. Rodriguez replied, “I categorically deny that there was an instruction from the President to even consider or to import 600,000 metric tons of sugar [under] SO 4.”

“Wala ho ganong kautusan ang Pangulo (There’s no such instruction from the President),” said Rodriguez, who was forced to attend the probe of the

sugar importation scandal after the panel issued a subpoena compelling him to attend — whether physically or virtually — the hybrid hearing.

It was Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros, who motioned to compel Rodriguez to attend the probe after he failed to face the inquiry for two consecutive hearings.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd opposed the holding of an executive session by the blue ribbon committee to decide whether to subpoena Rodriguez to testify in the investigation of the sugar fiasco.

Pimentel agreed with Hontiveros that Rodriguez could just testify online.

He said an executive session might be misconstrued that the panel will be favoring a witness and second, if the witness refused to appear at the hearing, the public might suspect that he is hiding something.

Tolentino assured Pimentel that the committee “will be transparent and to the best interest, not just of the blue ribbon, the Senate, but the people as well.”

Rodriguez had missed two consecutive hearings despite the Senate panel’s invitations.

“I would like to sincerely apologize if you have to resort to the issuance of the subpoena to compel my presence today. I have no intention whatsoever to disrespect the honorable members of the Senate, and the Senate as an institution,” he told the senators.

Tolentino has terminated the probe on the sugar fiasco, which would have allowed the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar into the country.

In Nasugbu, Batangas, P1.8 billion worth of local and imported sugar and other goods were found also on Tuesday during an inspection of a warehouse by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) operatives amid the agency’s intensified efforts to flush out hoarded sugar.

“We consider this a huge breakthrough in our ongoing campaign against sugar hoarding. This may be one of our biggest operations to date since we started inspecting sugar storage facilities,” Customs Commissioner Yogi Felimon Ruiz said.

Inspected by a composite team, led by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)-Manila International Container, was the Central Azucarera Don Pedro in Barangay Lumbangan, Nasugbu, Batangas.

Found inside the storage facility was an estimated 181,299 sacks of imported MITR PHOL brand pure refined sugar from Thailand, as well as some 197,590 sacks of local Don Pedro white sugar.

Ruiz said the warehouse has been temporarily closed.