JV Ejercito criticizes officials involved in sugar import mess over negligence

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MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Monday criticized the agencies involved in the sugar import fiasco for allegedly “ignoring” the worsening agricultural smuggling in the country, insinuating that these agriculture officials could be prosecuted.

In a press conference, the senator called out the Department of Agriculture (DA), Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), and Bureau of Customs (BOC) for their negligence and “turning a blind eye” to the agricultural smuggling in the country happening for more than six years.

“It’s really about time that we look into these SRA officials, DA officials, BOC officials, doon sa mga talagang nagkulang. Di nga lang nagkulang, mukhang nagbulag-bulagan,” Ejercito said.

(They were not just inefficient, they seemingly turned a blind eye.)

“Hindi naman siguro magkakaganito kalala ang problema ng ating agricultural industry had they done their jobs, kung talagang ginawa nila ang task nila,” he said.

(This would not have been a grave problem for the agricultural industry had they done their jobs.)

Ejercito hinted at the possibility of filing charges against negligent agriculture officials, especially those who turned a blind eye to agricultural smuggling in the past six years.

“That’s their responsibility: to really stop smuggling and protect our farmers and the industry itself. So doon palang, palagay ko, they are remiss. Probably, we can already study the filing of charges against these officials who were remiss in their duties. Kumbaga, pinabayaan nila in the past six years,” he said.

(That’s their responsibility: to really stop smuggling and protect our farmers and the industry itself. So for that, I think they are already remiss. Probably, we can already study the filing of charges against these officials who were remiss in their duties. They were remiss in their jobs in the past six years.)

He said if the BOC had been more active in detecting and apprehending agricultural smugglers, the country’s current woes with its sugar supply would have been avoided.

The agency’s recent raids on warehouses containing hoarded sugar also prove that agricultural hoarders only engineered the alleged sugar shortage in the country, he explained.

“Ang sabi, may shortage. Pero mukhang artificial shortage, because the warehouses, nakita naman natin, noong biglang nag raid ang Customs, bigla silang nagising (na) ang dami-dami palang supply ng sugar,” he said.

(They said there’s a shortage, but it looks like an artificial shortage because we saw the warehouses raided by Customs, and they found out there was an ample supply of sugar.)

“Probably, they are hoarding. Yung mga traders are hoarding these products intentionally para tumaas ang presyo,” he added.

(Probably, they’re hoarding. Traders are hoarding these products intentionally so that prices would soar.)

The senator said he is “very much concerned” with the issue as he is the principal author of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, which declares large-scale agricultural smuggling as “economic sabotage.”

He said he would urge his colleagues to strengthen the Senate’s oversight on implementing the country’s agricultural laws.

“I’m hoping that our oversight function will be established. Dapat (itong) irevive. Dapat maging active, para mabantayan ang mga batas na ito in line with the President’s direction or directive na dapat magkaroon ng food sufficiency,” he said.

(I’m hoping that our oversight function will be established. It needs to be revived. They must be active. These laws get monitored in line with the President’s direction or directive that there must be food sufficiency.)

For its part, the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) attested that the country is, in fact, experiencing a sugar shortage.

READ: Sugar shortage not artificial, group says

The Senate blue ribbon panel started investigating the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) supposed approval of the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar on August 23. It is set to conduct its third hearing on Tuesday. —Catherine Dabu, INQUIRER.net trainee

JMS