Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, September 8 expressed her disappointment at the outcome of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which recommended the filing of administrative and criminal liability against former agriculture undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian and three ex-officials at the Sugar Regulatory Administration who were involved in the release of Sugar Order No, 4 which President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had disowned.

Hontiveros, a member of the two-manned Senate minority bloc, said that while she concurs with the findings of the committee that there “may have been” a sugar shortage, the panel has put the blame on mere “fall guys.”

The opposition senator has earlier questioned the involvement of Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez and the latter’s questionable testimony on the Senate sugar importation probe.

Hontiveros had also earlier urged the panel, chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino, to subpoena the recording of the Zoom meeting last August 4, attended by no less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., former SRA chief Hermenegildo Serafica, former Sugar Board member Aurelio Valderrama Jr., and Rodriguez.

“There was and there is a shortage. Facts don’t lie. The numbers don’t lie. I hope this puts to rest all speculation that the shortage is artificial, na may bode-bodegang asukal. These optics need to be seen against the data — how much sugar do we as a country actually consume, how much are we producing locally,” Hontiveros said.

“Pero (But), with due respect to the Chair, tila may ginawang (it seems they were just) fall guys. Of course the President can retract orders and override policy, but I believe Usec. Sebastian when he says he was of the good faith belief that the importation not only was necessary, (and that) it had the support of the Chief Executive,” she said.

“If the President wanted to recall SO4, it is perfectly within his province to do so, but to throw everything but the kitchen sink on Usec. Sebastian — na hindi naman kumita, wala namang kinubrang pera (who didn’t earn any money or benefitted from it) discourages government officials from acting with urgency on matters that affect consumers, like tight supply, high prices and inflations,” she lamented.

“In fact, DA insiders say that department officials are now gun-shy about signing any importation documents, ‘Baka ma-Sebastian,’ further exacerbating the food shortage,” the senator further warned.

That is why. Hontiveros said the recent raids done on sugar warehouses and derailing the ship carrying imported sugar in Subic made her ask why Rodriguez was not transparent during the Senate probe in the first place.

“What are they hiding? What is the real score? Why did the ES need to be subpoenaed and why did he not disclose the August 4 meeting with the President in the first instance?” she said.

“In the meantime, ang mga manggagawa ng Coke ay nangangamba kung May trabaho pa bukas, ang mga mamimili ay nanlulumo sa presyo ng asukal (workers at Coca-Cola are worrying if they will still have any job tomorrow, while consumers are reeling at the high prices of sugar),” Hontiveros further noted.