Senior Undersecretary of Agriculture (DA) Domingo Panganiban is facing a complaint for graft and usurpation of authority in connection with the suspected illicit importation of refined sugar last February.

On Monday, the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry-Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries' Council and the Alternatiba ng Masa party list filed a 16-page complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that Panganiban violated Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits a public official from giving an unwarranted benefit, advantage, or preference to a private party.

Panganiban, according to the complainants, usurped the legitimate job of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), which has exclusive jurisdiction to issue a SO.

Further, the complainants stated that on February 27, Panganiban issued a Memorandum directing SRA administrator David John Thaddeus Alba to issue a clearance for the release of imported sugar by All Asian Countertrade Inc. (240,000 metric tons) and two other importers: Edison Lee Marketing Corp. (100,000 MT) and S&D Sucden Philippines Inc. (100,000 MT).

In their complaint, groups said that the memorandum, issued by respondent Panganiban, specifically commands the inclusion and release of the contraband sugar imported by All Asian Countertrade Inc.

Also, the complainants mentioned that the 440 MT of sugar approved to be imported into our country in SO6 by respondent Panganiban fell squarely in the heart of our sugar growers' harvest season.

Allowing such a large amount of sugar to be imported at this time period reduced the price of sugarcane sold by our sugar planters.