The Department of Agriculture must address the alleged “government-sponsored” sugar smuggling as it is tantamount to economic sabotage, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Tuesday.
Hontiveros said the DA should permanently blacklist three companies in the country’s trading system should they be found responsible for the purported sugar importation irregularities.
She filed Senate Resolution 497 seeking to investigate the operations of All Asian Countertrade Inc., Sucden Philippines Inc., and Edison Lee Marketing Corp. after they were tagged in incidents of illegal sugar importation.
“I urge the three companies to cooperate with all investigations over this issue. They still have time to choose not to be fully embroiled in such a brazen and outrageous conspiracy,” she added.
“If they were just pressured, then they should immediately reveal to the public the individuals who may be truly responsible for this ‘Sugar Import Fiasco 2.0,’” she said.
Hontiveros also called on officials of the government agencies concerned to identify the personalities behind the alleged smuggling cover-up.
Last week, she showed documents on the questioned importation of 450,000 metric tons of sugar without a Sugar Order from the Sugar Regulatory Administration, as required by law.
DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban later admitted that he had handpicked the three companies because of a memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary.