The Office of the President (OP) has dismissed the administrative charges against former officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) who signed on the controversial order to import 300,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar in August 2022.
In a 10-page decision dated December 29, 2022, the OP said former Agriculture undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, former SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica and former SRA board members Roland Beltran and Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. could not be held liable for charges of grave misconduct, gross dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of services.
The document was signed on behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
Marcos ordered an investigation last year on the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar, which was signed by Sebastian and the other SRA officials who were then in office.
The order did not have Marcos’ approval as the concurrent Agriculture Secretary. It was subsequently recalled.
The fiasco led to the resignation of Sebastian and the other SRA officials who signed the order .
Results of the OP’s investigation showed Sebastian and the other respondents signed the importation order in good faith.
Prior to the signing of the importation order in August, then-Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez issued a memorandum dated July 15, 2022 authorizing Sebastian to sign contracts, memoranda of agreements, among others, for the Department of Agriculture’s effective and efficient operations.
“In the instant case, SO No. 4 was prepared pursuant to a directive by the President to come up with an importation plan, the draft of which was sent to then ES Rodriguez. Having raised no objection therefor, respondents could have assumed its approval,” the decision read.
Based on the OP’s investigation, there’s no evidence that Sebastian and the former SRA officials committed any misconduct.
“Notably, there is no showing that respondents issued the subject order in order to materially benefit therefrom, and the surrounding circumstances extant absolve the respondents of any misconduct,” the ruling read.
While Sebastian and other former SRA officials have been cleared of any charges, the OP said they are “admonished to be prudent and circumspect in the performance of their duties.”
