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The United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) on Wednesday mentioned it’s going to take authorized motion in opposition to officers of the Division of Agriculture (DA) for allegedly defying courtroom rulings concerning the federal government’s sugar import program.
Unifed mentioned it’s going to ask the courts to quote Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Hermenegildo Serafica in contempt for implementing Sugar Order (SO) No. 3 regardless of courtroom rulings and pending circumstances in opposition to it.
SO 3 licensed the importation of 200,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar to plug the shortfall in home provide and mood the rise in sugar costs. Nevertheless, the sugar order confronted authorized challenges as trade teams, comparable to Unifed, sought the courts’ intervention to cease the import program.
In March, Government Decide Reginald M. Fuentebella of the Regional Trial Court docket Department 73 in Sagay Metropolis, Negros Occidental issued a writ of preliminary injunction in opposition to SO 3, which halted the implementation of the federal government’s import program. (Associated story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/03/01/court-halts-sras-sugar-importation-plan/)
“We are going to ask the courts to situation speedy warrants of arrest in opposition to the 2 officers for disrespecting the powers of the courts and bypassing the rights of sugar stakeholders that sought a establishment on SO 3,” Unifed President Manuel Lamata mentioned in an announcement.
“This sheer defiance of the courts’ orders from Dar and Serafica with a view to cater industrial customers, notably the drinks firms should be stopped, investigated and if warranted, be prosecuted.”
Moreover, Unifed warned that it’ll “file corresponding fees to all merchants who will take part on this importation program for making a mockery of the legislation.”
“Unifed is in opposition to importation as it’s a want, however is in opposition to the exclusivity to industrial customers, which has by no means occurred within the historical past of the sugar trade,” Lamata mentioned.
MC 11
The SRA stood pat on its choice to push by means of with its 200,000-MT importation program, saying that the nation is in dire want of sugar provide, as proven within the projections and estimates made by the company.
“Everyone seems to be conscious that sugar costs have been excessive and proceed to go up weekly. It’s clear from these information that we have to increase our sugar provide on the soonest attainable time to make sure meals safety in sugar and meals merchandise utilizing sugar in addition to arrest the persevering with improve in sugar costs which impacts inflation,” the SRA mentioned in an announcement on Wednesday.
The SRA issued Memorandum Round (MC) No. 11 sequence of 2021-2022 on Wednesday, which suggested candidates of the resumption of the import program.
“The Sugar Regulatory Administration is now processing purposes in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao [except those in Region 7] to permit the importation of 200,000 metric tons of ordinary grade refined sugar and bottler’s grade refined sugar,” MC 11 learn.
Lamata famous that the exception of Area VI as stipulated in MC 11 was a results of the writ of preliminary injunction that was issued by Fuentebella.
In a digital press briefing final Tuesday, Dar disclosed that the DA’s “inclination” was to push by means of with the implementation of SO 3 in areas that aren’t coated by current or pending short-term restraining orders filed by “sure quarters.”
The common retail value of refined sugar in Metro Manila as of April 29 reached P68.86 per kilogram whereas wholesale value is nearing P3,200 per 50-kilogram bag, primarily based on the most recent SRA information.
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