Panganiban says Marcos pushed for sugar importation through selected tradersMANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said Tuesday before the Senate Blue Ribbon panel that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. directed the importation of sugar through selected traders. Pressed by Sen. Francis Tolentino to clarify what Marcos told him after a Cabinet meeting, Panganiban said the president directed him to “import through selected importers of sugar.”Panganiban relayed to the committee that Marcos told him in that call that sugar inflation is high which prompted the president to recommend the immediate importation of the sweetener to arrest its price in the market. “Let’s do it ourselves first,” Panganiban said partly in Filipino. I was the one who said, ‘Let’s do it ourselves.’ What the president said was, ‘Let’s import,’” Panganiban said. Panganiban was unable to answer how the sugar traders were selected as he deferred to the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
