THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which earlier terminated its inquiry into the sugar importation “fiasco” involving the aborted importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar, has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against four officials, led by Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian.
After the Blue Ribbon’s general counsel read aloud the highlights of the report at the start of Thursday’s hearing, panel chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino directed the committee secretary to transmit to the relevant agencies a copy of the report.
The report recommended the filing of—based on “preliminary evidence on record”—administrative charges against four officials for serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, conduct prejudicial to the service, and gross insubordination.
Besides Sebastian, the three others are former Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chairman Hermenegildo Serafica; and former SRA board members Roland Beltran and Aurelio Valderrama.
Also endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman was a recommendation for the filing of criminal charges against the same four officials, for alleged violations of Republic Act 3019 (antigraft law) and RA 10845 (anti-agricultural smuggling); and usurpation of official functions.
Besides sending copies of the report to the Department of Agriculture, Commission on Audit and the Ombudsman, Tolentino also directed the Blue Ribbon secretary to send copies to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for possible issuance of a lookout bulletin order on the four officials.
Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, who dissented from the report endorsed by a vote of 14 senators, announced that the minority in the Senate will file a separate report on the outcome of the Blue Ribbon investigation, which was sparked by a privilege speech of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.
The Blue Ribbon panel terminated the inquiry after its third hearing last September 6, after hearing testimony of Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, whom senators subpoenaed for skipping two earlier hearings.
Rodriguez denied a sudden claim made by Serafica that at an August 4 meeting, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—who disowned his supposed consent to Sugar Order No. 4—had even floated the idea of possibly importing 600,000 metric tons of sugar, in response to the SRA’s claim of a looming importation.
Sugar Order No. 4, where Sebastian signed “for the President” in Marcos’s concurrent capacity as DA secretary, authorized the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. The SRA recalled SO 4 after the President denied having given consent to it.
Officials react
Sought for his reaction, former SRA board member Beltran told the Businessmirror that he would read the entire Senate Blue Ribbon panel report before issuing a statement.
“No comment at this time. I still have to read the entire text of the report,” Beltran said via online message.
Beltran represented the sugar miller’s sector at the SRA board from November 28, 2016 until he resigned last August 15 amid the sugar import fiasco.
Beltran continued fulfilling his duty as SRA board member as their term, which lapsed last June 30, was extended until end of the year by Malacañang pending new replacements.
For his part, Valderrama Jr., who represented the sugarcane planters in SRA’s board, said he “disagrees” with the Blue Ribbon recommendation.
Valderrama, who was appointed in early August, served as a SRA board member for just less than a month.
“While I disagree with the said recommendation, the best thing for us to do at this moment is to wait for the concerned agencies’ official investigation,” Valderrama said in a statement issued on Thursday.
“While the outcome of the report is against our interest, I truly believe that we were already prejudged during the hearing,” Valderrama added.
Valderrama claimed that the graft and corruption charges against him are “baseless” and are “false accusations.”
“Rest assured that I will face the cases that they are going to file against me head-on, at the proper time and at the proper forum,” he said.
“This could actually be a blessing in disguise as the cases will be pending before an impartial body,” he added.
The BusinessMirror also sought the comments of Sebastian, who is currently under preventive suspension, and former Serafica, but they have not responded as of press time.
Image credits: senate.gov.ph