‘Reinstate exonerated ex-SRA officials’

The former officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) who were cleared of wrongdoing with regards to the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO4) should be reinstated to their posts.

Thus said Wennie Sancho, secretary-general of the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA), in reaction to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to clear the former SRA officials.

“Since former SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, former SRA board members Roland Beltran, and Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama, as well as former agriculture undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian were absolved, they should be reinstated to their previous posts,” Sancho said.

The allegations against them should have been discussed thoroughly first before they were accused. Such controversy surrounding SO4 disgraced the four former officials, he added.

The GAWA sec-gen’s statement also echoed the move of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (Panayfed) which backed the four individuals, especially Valderrama, pointing out that their actions were in “good faith and honesty.”

According to NFSP and Panayfed in a statement, “justice has been served and it was proven that there was no bad faith, malice, misconduct, nor dishonesty committed by the four officials in the issuance of SO4.”

Valderrama earlier called on the Department of Agriculture and the SRA “to take the lead in bringing the country’s sugar industry back to its rightful place.”

Last year, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against the signatories of the controversial SO4.

SO4 would have mandated the importation of 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar.

The order was later deemed “illegal” by Malacañang as it was not approved by Marcos.

Both Serafica and Beltran would later resign from their posts, with Beltran stating that his resignation was due to “health reasons”.* (W/DGB)