MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon panel is starting Monday its investigation into the allegedly anomalous importation of sugar into the country ahead of the effectivity of a sugar order issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
Among those invited to the hearing are Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.
Bersamin issued a memorandum on January 13 that Panganiban interpreted to be a greenlight to proceed with sugar importation.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who called for the probe, said this was “government-sponsored smuggling,” but Panganiban has insisted that his actions were aboveboard.
Panganiban said in February that he “acted with haste and interpreted the memorandum issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary as an approval to proceed with the importation.”
Hontiveros has called for the preventive suspension of Panganiban pending an investigation into what she called the "Sugar Fiasco 2.0.”
The Blue Ribbon committee was originally scheduled to conduct its initial hearing on April 25, but postponed it to a later date as some resource persons, including Panganiban, were abroad.
Watch the inquiry LIVE at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 8, 2023.