SRA: Nothing illegal in release of funds for anti-smuggling drive

MANILA, Philippines - There was nothing irregular about the release of P24.8 million by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to a non-government organization for anti-smuggling operations because the funds came from private sources, SRA administrator Ma. Regina Martin said in a statement.

She said the fund given to the Sugar Master Plan Foundation Inc. (SMPFI) came from sugar planters who wanted to bankroll the operations of the group “in apprehending the entry of smuggled sugar into the domestic market.”

The Commission on Audit (COA) reported the release of the fund from 2008 to 2012.

Martin said planters contributed to the anti-smuggling fund after seeing that the government alone could not prevent the entry of smuggled sugar into the country.

“We are proud to say that SRA has earned the trust and confidence of the sugar industry stakeholders which bonded us together in implementing relevant programs for the industry like the anti-smuggling initiative using the private sectors’ money,” she said.