Wrap up sugar probe — Zubiri
AFTER Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez clarified matters concerning the controversial Sugar Order No. 4, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri yesterday said it’s about time to terminate the hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee and issue a resolution that would recommend the filing of appropriate charges against unscrupulous individual behind the fiasco.
“To hasten the proceedings, because I think we have discussed this issue lengthily. I would suggest, to do justice to the farmers, to do justice to the stakeholders, maybe we can terminate the hearing, come up with the quick resolution of the case, approve it before the break and if these cases are necessarily to be filed, let’s file them, so that they will have their days in court,” Zubiri explained.
Zubiri lauded Executive Secretary Rodriguez who voluntarily submitted himself to the Senate blue ribbon committee and cleared the rumor that the Palace high ranking official was avoiding the investigation.
The Senate President also commended Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Senator Francis Tolentino for swiftly acting on his call to investigate the SRA’s release of the Sugar Order No. 4, which Malacañang said was unauthorized by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who os is also head of the Department of Agriculture.
Last August 16, Zubiri delivered a privilege speech saying that unscrupulous individuals earn as much as P600 million in kickbacks from the delivery of sugar into the country.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said with all the information submitted before them, it is time that sugar industry stakeholders must be allowed to import supplies of the commodity on their own to end suspicions of “tong-pats,” or price-padding scheme.
Zubiri made the recommendation as the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, or the Blue Ribbon Committee wrapped up its inquiry on the fiasco involving the import order released by Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
“Kung pwede, wala nang masyadong government intervention. Kung pwede po, ‘yong importation, ibigay na lang directly sa ating mga high-demand users (If possible, there should be less government intervention. If possible, hand over the importation directly to our high-demand users),” Zubiri suggested.
He said SRA Acting Administrator David John Thaddeus Alba, as well as sugar millers and farmers, agreed to his proposal in a recent meeting.
“Para sa ganoon, wala nang isyung tong-pats (So there would be no more price-padding issue). Kasi kung hindi natin ginawa ‘yan (Because if we don’t do that), there will always be questions of corruption in the agency,” Zubiri stressed.
