Rodriguez 'not entirely blameless' in sugar fiasco —Senate minority bloc

Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez is not entirely blameless in the controversial issuance of Sugar Order No. 4, minority senators asserted Tuesday. 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros made the position in a report separate from the one officially released by the Senate blue ribbon committee last week.

"The Committee Report failed, or purposely refrained, to discuss the part which Executive Secretary Rodriguez played in this unfortunate debacle," the minority report read.

They cited Rodriguez's testimony during the first hearing on the issue where he stated that he confronted Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian.

"In effect, Executive Secretary Rodriguez was insinuating that there was an intent on behalf of the SRA board members to conceal the execution of SO No. 4 from the President," the minority lawmakers said.

However, the minority bloc emphasized that the "testimonies during the hearings and the sworn affidavits submitted clearly established that all pertinent information related to the issuance of SO No. 4—from the planning to the drafting of sugar order, and recommendations as to the terms thereof—were promptly communicated to the Office of the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary."

Gatekeeper

They referred to Rodriguez's testimony admitting that he "purposely did not respond" to the text messages from Sebastian asking if there were any instructions from the president regarding the sugar issue.

"By virtue of his position, the Executive Secretary has a direct link to the President. He stands as the gatekeeper to the President... There would not have been any miscommunication had the Executive Secretary simply replied that the SRA Board should give the President more time to study the 'draft' Sugar Order No. 4 and to hold in abeyance the planned referendum pending advice or instruction from the Office of the President," they said.

"Moreover, had the Executive Secretary properly and promptly communicated instead of remaining deafeningly silent, he could have been clarified and informed that the requested sugar importation plan or program was already the draft Sugar Order submitted to him on 5 August 2022. If the President truly had no knowledge of the recommendations and the draft sugar order, then whose fault would that be?" they asked.

The minority senators also asked if Rodriguez "truly relayed" to the president the existence of SO No. 4 as well as the urgent memorandum which were sent to him on August 5 through e-mail or if Rodriguez informed the president of the follow-up text messages from Sebastian.

The minority bloc concluded that it is "most unfair" for Rodriguez to say that the Sugar Regulatory Board passed the said resolution approving SO No. 4 "without submitting the requested documents, without the knowledge of the President, and without even convening the SRA Board."

Further, Pimentel and Hontiveros said Rodriguez's claim of concealment "is belied by the facts and evidence on record."

They said that it does not appear that there was an intention to conceal the matter from the president.

Had concealment been Sebastian's real, he would not have made the effort to personally report to Malacañang on 10 August 222 and inform the president that the SRA board had already issued SO No. 4, they added.

The minority senators opined that what had transpired was a case of lack of communication and clear directive or even any advice from Rodriguez on how the SRA Board should proceed to handle the subject matter.

"As already stated earlier, their inquiries were met with a deafening silence. Clearly, Executive Secretary Rodriguez's claim that there was intentional concealment on the part of the signatories to SO No. 4 appears to be nothing than mere passing the buck (and the blame), because the claim is clearly not supported by the facts," they said.

"We are disappointed with the treatment given to Usec. Sebastian considering that he has been chosen as the President's 'eyes and ears' and representative in the DA and in other committees, councils, and boards where the president as the DA secretary is a member of, as proven by the said 15 July 2022 Memorandum," they added.

GMA News Online has sought the comment of Rodriguez on the matter but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

'Shirking of responsibility'

Last week, the Senate blue ribbon committee recommended administrative and criminal charges against an Agriculture official and three former Sugar Regulatory Administration officials over the controversial SO No. 4.

In a press conference Tuesday, Pimentel said it is "unfair" for the four officials to be charged with raps.

Apart from this, the minority report stated that:

• There is a clear, actual, indubitable and undeniable existing sugar shortage, which is dangerous if insufficiently and/or inadequately addressed.
• The series of actions of the Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, former Board members Roland Beltran and Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. had overwhelming badges of good faith.
• The recommendation of the majority to initiate administrative and criminal charges against Sebastian and the others and to issue a lookout bulletin are lacking factual and legal basis.

Although they found Rodriguez "not entirely blameless" for the controversy, Pimentel said that they will not recommend charges against the Palace official.

"Wala, hindi na kami nag-recommend ng charges against the ES...Sabi ko wag na maghanap. Let this be on their conscience na lang," Pimentel said.

For her part, Hontiveros hoped that this issue would set a precedent for current and future executive secretaries to serve the president better.

"I hope that it will set a precedent for current and future executive secretaries na i-serve naman nang mas maayos yung presidente nila at 'wag naman ibaling ang pagkukulang nila sa ibang mga tao sa gobyerno who are just doing their job, and I guess the purpose that has been served is to show how shirking of responsibilities should not be done, lalo na sa pinakamataas na level ng bureaucracy, and kahit papaano na-focus yung spotlight ulit sa hindi lang urgent pero strategic needs ng ating agrikultura which is sugar at marami pang iba dito sa food crisis na ito," she said.

During the first hearing on the sugar importation mess on August 23, Rodriguez said they learned during an August 10 meeting in Malacañang that the SRA, through Sebastian, passed a resolution approving the import order without submitting the import plan—the precursor to any sugar order—and without the knowledge of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who is the concurrent Agriculture Secretary.

Rodriguez also said he confronted Sebastian regarding SO No. 4, which would have allowed the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar. —KG/BM, GMA News