"What contrasting demeanor."
"What contrasting demeanor."
The attitude of Secretary of William Dar and the Senate during that body’s April 12, 2021 hearing on pork-tariff reduction stands in stark contrast to his attitude toward the Independent Millers Association (IMA) on the issue of the advisability of exporting sugar to the U.S. during the present coop year (September 1, 2020- August 31, 2021). In the Senate, Secretary Dar—a Ph.D.—put on a show of transparency and logic, freely offering to the members of the Senate committee on food, agriculture and agrarian reform, statistics on the Philippine pork market before and after the outbreak of African Swine Flu (ASF). In contrast, he is opaque and uncooperative to establish the real state of the domestic sugar market.
The Senate hearing was called to review the rationale of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 128, which lowered the tariff on pork imports from 30 percent to 5 percent for three months and raising the MAV (minimum access value) of pork imports eligible for the now-lower tariff; IMA has been asking the sugar industry’s regulator (Sugar Regulatory Administration), which Sec. Dar chairs, to desist from approving sugar exports to the U.S. in the face of a looming sugar-supply deficit.
William Dar told the Senate committee whose membership includes Panfilo Lacson, (1) that ASF had reduced the nation’s hog population to 9.7 million head from 12.7 million head, (2) that the current MAV of 54,000 metric tons (MT) would be raised by to 404,210 MT by EO No. 128 and (3) that, on the basis of an estimated domestic consumption of 1.62 million MT and an estimated domestic supply of 1.23 million MT, there would probably be a supply deficit of 388,563 MT of pork. Senator Lacson charged that corruption was involved in the tariff decrease and the MAV increase; Sec. Dar denied the charge. The senator from Cavite charged that members of a Department of Agriculture syndicate were receiving kickbacks ranging from P5 to P7 per kilo.
In contrast to his forthcoming attitude toward committee chairperson Senator Cynthia Villar and her colleagues, William Dar and his SRA colleagues steadfastly have, despite the numerous requests of Central Azucarera de Bais president Steven Chan and his IMA colleagues, (1) refused to admit that total domestic supply includes imported sugar, (2) refused to provide authenticated figures for total domestic consumption, (3) refused to disclose the total volume of sugar imports and (4) refused to categorically state that approving sugar exports—“A” sugar, in SRA terminology—are justifiable, given current domestic market conditions.
At last report, SRA was poised to consider the approval of another 34,000 MT, notwithstanding its recent disclosure of a probable 190,000—MT drop in current—crop-year production.
What a contrast in attitude —transparent and forthcoming with the Senate and the complete opposite toward the sugar producers. This suggests a course of action for the sugar producers: get Senator Lacson and his colleagues to investigate SRA and its policies and operations.
Paging Senator Lacson.