News Roundup 31 August 2022
Aug 31, 2022 • 5 min Read
Former DA exec says he ‘personally’ informed Bongbong Marcos of import order | INQUIRER.NET – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself had instructed the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to come up with a “sugar importation program” that served as the basis of controversial Sugar Order No. 4, which Malacañang later disowned as illegal, resigned Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian disclosed on Tuesday. Resuming his testimony at the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Sebastian also said Mr. Marcos and Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez did not raise any objection to the proposal to import sugar when it was first discussed in a meeting on Aug. 1 in Malacañang. Fielding questions from Sen. Risa Hontiveros, he said he “personally” informed the President on Aug. 10 that the three-member SRA board had already issued the order authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. To his surprise, Sebastian said, the President promptly told him that he was “not in agreement” to bring in a large volume of the commodity despite discussing it at the meeting with officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) nine days earlier. “After that meeting (with DA officials), I got a feedback from (then SRA) administrator (Hermenegildo) Serafica when he emailed me that he was instructed to draft the sugar importation program by the President,” Sebastian told Hontiveros.“And if you are instructed to draft the sugar importation program, that means they are already aware that there’s an importation that has been planned,” he said. Hontiveros said this belied Rodriguez’s claim that the Palace learned about SO 4 only when it was uploaded on the SRA website on Aug. 10. Sebastian said the President, Rodriguez and other DA officials who were at the meeting have “already been informed” about the volume to be imported. Mr. Marcos, who chairs the SRA board as the concurrent acting agriculture secretary, directed the DA officials to “act fast” in reclassifying the stockpile of sugar from “reserved” to “domestic use” and address the “need to augment our local supplies through importation,” according to Sebastian. “There were no objections to the importation program or any reservation (regarding the proposal),” he said. Asked by Hontiveros if the Chief Executive “explicitly” mentioned the need to buy sugar from other countries, Sebastian said: “Yes, your Honor. That was part of the briefing that (Serafica) gave and also the President agreed [that] there’s a need to consider that.” “In fact, Serafica was given instruction to start preparing a sugar importation program,” he continued. The agriculture official said the planned sugar importation was again brought up in a subsequent meeting on Aug. 4. As Rodriguez had earlier disclosed, Sebastian said it was after that meeting when the executive secretary directed Serafica to submit a draft sugar order. Serafica affirmed Sebastian’s testimony. “After presenting to the President … the challenges in the sugar industry, my last course of action was to prepare a draft order on another import program for SRA board approval,” Serafica said. “In that instant, after everything was discussed, the President said ‘submit an importation plan,’” he noted. “I did not hear any objection [about the importation] at that point.” Hontiveros said the testimonies of Sebastian and Serafica raised more questions and exposed the “discrepancies” in the statements issued by Rodriguez and the Palace on the issue.
Hataman cries justice for slain cops in Maguindanao | INQUIRER.NET – Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman has joined calls for authorities to hold accountable not just the gunmen, but also the mastermind behind the ambush that killed two police officers and wounded three others in Maguindanao. Hataman denounced “in the strongest terms” the killing of Ampatuan town police chief Lt. Reynaldo Samson, and his security aide and driver Corporal Salipudin Endab, who were in Barangay Kapinpilan, Ampatuan town on Tuesday to serve a warrant of arrest on a wanted suspect. Master Sgt. Renante Quinalayo, and Corporals Rogelio dela Cuesta Jr. and Marc Clint Dayaday were also wounded in the attack. “Labis nating ikinalulungkot ang pangyayaring ito kung saan ang mga nasawi ay miyembro ng ating kapulisan na siyang nagpapatupad ng batas, nagtataguyod ng ating seguridad at nagtatanggol sa ating mamamayan,” Hataman said in statement on Wednesday. (We are deeply saddened by the killing of our police officers fulfilling their duties of enforcing the law, promoting our security, and protecting our people.)
Super Typhoon Henry enters Philippine Area of Responsibility | PHILSTAR.COM – State weather bureau PAGASA said Super Typhoon Henry (international name: Hinnamnor) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday as Tropical Depression Gardo continues to bring rains over northern Luzon. PAGASA will begin releasing tropical cyclone bulletins beginning 11 p.m. Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Gardo continues to maintain its strength, moving northward east of Northern Luzon. In a 6:24 p.m. advisory, the state weather bureau said areas in Isabela and the Mountain Province continues to experience moderate to occasionally heavy rains. Light to moderate rains are also being experienced over parts of Ilocos Sur, Abra, Ifugao, and Kalinga, which are expected to last for two to three hours. Affected residents are advised to prepare for the impact of tropical depression Gardo. Meanwhile, those living along mountain slopes are warned of the possibility of landslides and flashfloods. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council earlier instructed its regional disaster risk reduction officials in the affected areas to start preparing for the forecasted weather conditions in their areas and monitor updates closely.
