Gov. Lacson stands by SRA Board member Valderrama

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed support today to the stand of Sugar Regulatory Administration board member Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, Jr. to remain in his post and leave the decision to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Lacson said Valderrama was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while the others were appointed by the previous administration.

“I agree with him that he will wait for the decision of the President. I don’t think he should resign,” the governor said.

Valderrama, dubbed by the local media as the “last man standing,” sent a letter to the President on August 15, “explaining what happened (during the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4) and for the President to say if he wants me to resign or not.”

Earlier, Malacañang accepted the resignation of Administrator Herminigildo Serafica and board member Roland Beltran of SRA, amid the controversial Sugar Order No.4.

“I am at the disposal of the President. If he says I will resign, I will immediately do it,” Valderrama, in a press conference Tuesday, said.

Valderrama admitted that there have been calls for their resignation amid Sugar Order No. 4 following the declaration of the President that SO 4 was “unauthorized and illegal.”

He said he was appointed to the sugar board by the President two weeks ago and did not ask for the position.

“I did not seek the appointment but accepted it with the intention of bringing the producers’ voice to the SRA and to help craft measures to address industry concerns,” he said.

“l am here to clarify the circumstances behind SO No. 4 and to enlighten the public in the face of premature judgments and unfounded allegations about an SR syndicate, about insider ‘vultures’ scheming to corner the market, about the allegedly ‘illegal’ Sugar Order and, sadly, about my involvement in this so-called anomaly,” Valderrama, in a statement, said.

“… SO#4 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. This is supported by resolutions from industry stakeholders themselves, including those who now demand our resignation,” Valderrama pointed out.

He added that he “exerted every possible effort to ensure propriety before affixing his signature on the Sugar Order in question.”

“The Sugar Board also 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,” he said.
“SO#4 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 SO#4 (entitled Second Sugar Importation Plan for Crop Year ’21-’22).

Beltran (millers’ representative) and Serafica signed the order, it was submitted to Usec. Sebastian for appropriate action.

“Usec. Sebastian then signed it for and in 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.

“I was therefore shocked when news came out that the Presidential spokesperson called the
Sugar Order ‘Illegal’, passed without the benefit of a formal meeting, and without the President’s authority. Announcements of an investigation were followed by unfair insinuations and unfounded allegations about ‘corruption’ in the Department of Agriculture and the SRA, Valderrama added.

Valderrama said he stands by his integrity and the truth.

He said he hoped Marcos would convene the sugar board at the earliest possible time to decide on measures to best address the current sugar crisis.

‘When the appropriate solutions are put in place and a fair investigation is concluded, I as a member of the sugar board place myself at the disposal of the president, knowing I served with integrity and hoping that the truth will prevail above all else, in the interest of our stakeholders,” Valderrama said.

Lacson said “SO No. 4 was a recommendation of the board. The right thing to do then was to present it to the President. So that he can approve it or not.”

The governor, a sugar planter himself, said some planters said they did not say “they are against importation per se. Only that it should not be raw sugar.”

Lacson also disagreed with the claims of some sectors that there is “sugar crisis.”

“We should be guided by these questions: is there a need to import? We can decide on that. What’s the volume we need? To make sure there is shortage now or in the future. The timing of when these sugar should come in. When there is importation there’s a tendency for smuggling. That we have to watch,” he pointed out.

With these three guidance, we will always be in a stable situation, Lacson said.* (Eugene Y. Adiong)