BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo Serafica is the latest official in the agency to resign following the controversial issuance of Sugar Order No. 04 (SO4) which would have pushed for the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.
Serafica tendered his resignation on Aug. 10 and it was approved by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
A letter signed by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez stated: “On behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., I wish to inform you that your resignation has been accepted, effective immediately.”
With the resignation of a high-level SRA official, SRA Board Member Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, Jr., is now the “last man standing” and is currently awaiting for the decision of the president.
Valderrama was earlier appointed by Marcos to become an SRA board member.
According to Valderrama, he immediately sent a letter to the President on Aug. 15 explaining what happened during the issuance of SO4, and for the president to say if he wants him to resign or not.
“The letter is just between me and the president. I am at the disposal of the President. If he says I will resign, I will immediately do it,” Valderrama said.
Valderrama explained that SO4 is based on facts and proper consultations. The proposed sugar importation was based on SRA’s official data and supply/demand analysis, as well as prevailing high market prices, which established a clear basis for additional imports.
He pointed out that the order was supported by resolutions from industry stakeholders themselves, including those who now demanded their resignation.
“The Resolutions are on record,” he added.
He added that he exerted every possible effort to ensure propriety before affixing his signature on the order.
He further pointed out the board acted as mandated, in faithful observance of accepted procedure following deliberations, consistent with the President’s request, who is concurrently Secretary of Agriculture and SRA Chairman.
“SO4 was done as directed. The resulting Sugar Order No 4 is the “Sugar Importation Plan” that SRA was directed to prepare in order to address the problem of low supply and high prices. Everything was in order up to Board Member level. Ensuring that everything was in order, I signed SO4 (entitled Second Sugar Importation Plan for Crop Year ’21-’22). After Atty. Rolando Beltran (millers’ representative) and Serafica signed the order, which was submitted to Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian for appropriate action. USec. Sebastian then signed it for and on behalf of the SRA Chairman, President Marcos, Jr. I did not know this, nor could I have questioned that act, knowing that USec. Sebastian was the Chairman’s authorized alternate,” he added.
Valderrama said he was shocked when news came out that the Presidential Spokesperson called SO4 “illegal” as it was passed without the benefit of a formal meeting and without the authority of Marcos.
Valderrama said he was the last one to sign the order and he did sign because they will submit it to the president as soon as possible.
Earlier, Beltran resigned as board member of the SRA citing “health reasons.”
Beltran was the Millers Representative for the SRA, and was one of the signatories to SO4 which would later be labeled by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as “unauthorized and illegal.”
Sebastian has also resigned over the unauthorized importation.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are already mulling to conduct an investigation with regards to the issue surrounding SO4./PN
