Walang iregularidad sa “Sugar Fiasco 2.0” import order- Bersamin

MANILA, Philippines – Lehitimo at pinayagan ng gobyerno ang  kautusan na mag-angkat ng asukal  sa unang bahagi ng taon.

Ito ang  iniimbestigahan ng  Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Binigyang diin ni Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin na walang iregularidad sa di umano’y illegal entry ng kargamento ng asukal sa bansa bago pa ipinalabas ang Sugar Order No. 6.

“We confirm that the importation was legitimate and fully authorized by the government. The importation was not an effort ar cartelization, nor was it about government smuggling of sugar,” ani Bersamin.

Sinabi pa ni Bersamin na ang importasyon ay sinserong hakbang para tugunan ang tumataas na inflation at sugar prices  sa pamamagitan ng pag-establisa ng buffer stock ng asukal “as measure to regulate price increases.”

Tinukoy nito ang Executive Order No. 18 na nilagdaan noong 1986 ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino, para iregulate ang sugar market.

“We were, at that time, a net exporter of sugar. The creation of the Sugar Regulatory (Administration) under this executive order  had nothing to do with importation,” dagdag na wika ni Bersamin.

Tinuran pa niya na ang unang beses na importasyon ay “came to the cognizance ” ng SRA ay noon lamang Agosto 2022 sa pamamagitan ng joint memorandum  na nagsasaad na “no imported sugar shall be released to the importer consignee without an SRA clearance.”

Sinabi pa ni Bersamin na ang pagpapalabas ng sugar order ay hindi isang prerequisite para sa importasyon nito.

“Our opinion is that a sugar order is not required to be issued prior to an importation. There are actually several ways of importing sugar, one of them is this sugar order, the other is the minimum access volume.  There is also a relevant provision in the Price Act, and the residual is when the President exercises  his powers as the chief executive for when there is an urgent need for such experience.”

Tinukoy pa nito na ang Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, na nagsasaad na “in case of importation, submission of requirements after arrival  of the goods but prior to the release from customs custody shall be allowed but only  in cases  provided for by governing laws or regulations.”

“So to us in the Office of the President, we have committed no irregularity when we issued that sugar order neither was there any violation committed by any of the parties who were involved in the questioned transactions,” aniya pa rin.

Dahil dito, tinawagan niya ng pansin ang Senado na rebisahing mabuti ang rules at i-adopt ang pag-amiyenda “to make clearer this policy” kung kinakailangan.

Muling iginiit ni Bersamin na hindi nilabag ng gobyerno ang batas. Kris Jose