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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate probe on 'state-sponsored' smuggling of 400K MT sugar starts next week

Senate probe on 'state-sponsored' smuggling of 400K MT sugar starts next week

Published Apr 21, 2023 03:38 am
(Pixabay)


The Senate will start on Tuesday, April 25, its public hearing on the alleged ‘’state-sponsored’’ smuggling of 400,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar last February. Invited by Senator Francis ‘’Tol’ Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, was Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. Also invited were Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and Bureau of Customs (BOC), an association of sugar producers and three ‘’favored’’ sugar importers. Panganiban was recently designated as SRA officer-in-charge. The probe was spurred by Senator Risa Hontiveros' allegation that the importation of tons of sugar last February could be considered as smuggling because there was no SRA order--a requirement for sugar importation. Based on a memorandum that she was able to secure, Hontiveros said Panganiban allowed the importation last February before a Sugar Order (SO) Number 8 was issued. There are also other communications showing that three sugar importers were chosen to import the sugar based on instruction from Bersamin. Hontiveros feared that the three ‘’favored’’ sugar importers could start a cartel to control the price of sugar.

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francis tol Tolentino sugar SRA
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