Expect more warehouse inspections, Palace warns

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles made this remark after the Office of the President confirmed that the supposed sugar shortage in the country is “artificial” and merely caused by hoarding done by unscrupulous traders. (File Photo: Office of the Press Secretary/Facebook)

MANILA – After huge volumes of sugar were found hoarded and smuggled into the country, Malacañang on Tuesday reiterated its warning that government would run after all warehouse owners and caretakers taking advantage of the current supply concerns in the country.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles made this remark after the Office of the President confirmed that the supposed sugar shortage in the country is “artificial” and merely caused by hoarding done by unscrupulous traders.

She said surprise warehouse visits will continue in the following days.

“Yes, patuloy po (they will continue). By the way, they are the exercise of visitorial powers,” Cruz-Angeles said in a Palace press briefing.

Since last week, simultaneous operations were conducted by the Bureau of Customs, the Sugar Regulatory Administration, and the Department of Agriculture to inspect sugar warehouses in Deparo, Caloocan City; Balut in Tondo and San Nicolas in Manila; Rosales, Pangasinan; San Fernando, Pampanga; Ibaan, Batangas, and Davao.

These warehouse inspections started after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. rejected Sugar Order No. 4 (SO 4), a resolution to import 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar.

Three board members of the Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) have resigned from their posts following the “unauthorized” signing of the resolution.

Marcos, however, earlier acknowledged the need to import around 150,000MT of sugar as part of “emergency measures” to address the country’s impending sugar supply shortage.

The Department of Agriculture is currently preparing the importation plan.

Marcos is concurrent Agriculture Secretary and SRA chairperson.

‘Await Congress probe’

Meanwhile, Cruz-Angeles said Palace will also wait for results of the Congress probe into issues hounding the sugar industry.

This, after lawmakers called on the President to appoint a “competent” and “full-time” Agriculture chief to respond to problems within the department and its attached agencies.

“We have no reaction to that. There are also other questions pertaining to supposedly the testimonies that are being given during the course of the legislative investigation. We will not comment on those as well because it is in the hands of the committee or the legislature which is conducting the investigation. We will wait for it to complete the investigation,” she said.

Both the House of Representatives and Senate are conducting investigations into irregularities at the SRA.