Manila, Philippines: Taking a stand on the importation of 260 containers of sugar that are held at the port of Batangas for almost a month, former agriculture secretary and Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) board chairman Leonardo Montemayor said that the legality of sugar imports should be settled in the court, report Philstar.
He said that the Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban could be held liable after he allowed the entry of shipments even before the issuance of Sugar Order (SO) No. 6 that authorizes the importation of 440,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar.
“There should be an in-depth investigation to find out what happened and how to settle the legality. It should be carefully studied and investigated as it might set a precedent,” he said.
Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member and planters’ representative Pablo Luis Azcona has confirmed the issuance of necessary documents for the release of the 440,000 MT of sugar following a memo from Panganiban to SRA administrator David John Alba questioning the legality of the sugar imports.
