Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez on Tuesday skipped the second hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee regarding the sugar importation issue due to a scheduled Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.
"The good executive secretary will not be able to attend today's hearing because there is a Cabinet meeting right now, 9 a.m., at the same time while we are having this committee hearing. We will again issue another invitation for him to attend the next hearing," said Committee Chairman Senator Francis Tolentino.
He said he was only informed about the Cabinet meeting by a source and "not through the usual course of communication."
The Senate is currently conducting an investigation on the alleged unauthorized issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO 4), which would've allowed the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.
Last week, Rodriguez attended the Senate hearing wherein he admitted receiving the draft of SO 4 but ignored it after receiving the order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, in the same hearing, criticized Rodriguez's revelation and said that he should have brought the order that he received on Aug. 4 to the President.
Meanwhile, other officials of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) that were invited to attend the hearing also rendered their absence after testing positive for COVID-19.
