Imported sugar raises fears of favoritism, monopolies – Hontiveros

MANILA Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros had her doubts on Thursday about Sugar Order (SO) No. 6, which green-lights the importation of 440,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar.

The senator expressed concern about the size of the order, wondering how such an extensive volume was calculated.

“Una [First], where did they get the volume of 440,000MT when three major federations of sugar producers pushed for only 330,000MT?” Hontiveros asked in a statement.

The senator also remarked that previous SOs were prorated based on a mechanical calculation and questioned why the Department of Agriculture (DA) controls the quantity to be allocated to importers.

“Pwede bang sabihin ng DA na sa tatlong trader lang, at etsapwera na ang iba kahit sila ay nag-apply at eligible importers naman? Hindi ba ito favoritism at virtual monopoly?” the senator also pointed out.

(Can the DA say that the import will only go to three traders while the rest will be excluded even if they applied and are eligible importers? Isn’t this favoritism or virtual monopoly?)

“Lastly, matanong ko lang (I’ll just ask), can a Sugar Order be retroactive and legitimize the entry of imported sugar that arrived before the SO’s issuance?” she quizzed. “Because if we follow the law, imported sugar not covered by a sugar order is technically smuggled.”

Based on reports, sugar entered into the country last week, even before SO No. 6 was released.

The opposition senator vowed to “dig deeper” to ensure her questions are answered.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration recently issued a directive to allow the importation of 440,000 metric tons of refined sugar, even without the approval of the chairman of the board and concurrent DA chief, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

—Vance Chan, INQUIRER.net trainee

RELATED STORIES:

Philippines to import fresh 440,000 MT of sugar 

440,000 MT sugar imports to arrive in April 

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