Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri challenged on Saturday, Aug. 13 the members of the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB) to tender their courtesy resignations over the board’s alleged illegal order to import 300,000 metric tons (MTs) of sugar.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian is the SRB chairman while the two members come from the planters and millers sectors, Zubiri said.
Sebastian resigned Saturday.
‘’Turuan sila ng leksyon (They should be taught a lesson),’’ Zubiri said during a DWIZ radio interview.
What rankled Zubiri, an agriculturist who resided in the sugar-producing Negros province, was that the SRB recently issued an import order for 300,000 MTs of sugar although it earlier imported 200,000 MTs during the milling season.
SRB issued import order number 3 on the claim that there are no stocks of sugar, he pointed out.
Checking his temper, Zubiri said there are still 127,000 MTs in the warehouses and that the importation was in violation of a Negros Regional Trial Court (RTC) Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) but ‘’ang ginawa nila tinuloy pa rin (They continued with the importation order).
To express his indignation over the SRB’s illegal order, Zubiri said he would deliver on Monday, Aug. 15 a privilege speech to denounce SRA’s illegal order.
In that speech, Zubiri said he would ask the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino to conduct a hearing on the SRA mess.
Zubiri also revealed that Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez told him when they met at Malacañang yesterday that ‘’heads will roll’’ over the alleged illegal import order.
He said he was at Malacañang to witness the oath taking of officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) where he met and talked with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on problems plaguing the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Zubiri said the President is very angry over the SRA mess.
He said he is happy that Sebastian had resigned ‘’but my question is bakit di pa nagbibigay ng resignation ang mga members ng SRA (Sugar Regulatory Authority). Ano nangyari sa SRA yung administration yun ang nagkumbinsi kay Usec Sebastian na pumirma (What happened in that administration which was able to convince Sebastian to sign {the import order).’’
‘’Cases should be file against them. Ipinahamak nila si Pangulong Marcos (They put the President on the spot). Walanghiya sila dapat magresign na sila at kasuhan turuan ng leksyon (They have no shame, they should resign and be given a lesson),’’ he stressed.