Sugar smuggling

We are happy with the report that the combined team of Sugar Regulatory Administration and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (SRA-PASG) confiscated 281 bags of sugar in retail outlets in Cebu.

They were found in their original Thai sacks.

Under Administrator Rafael Coscolluela, SRA has apprehended already a total of some 45,000 bags estimated to cost some P54 million.

What is bad here is the openness with which smuggling is done, the smugglers not even bothering to rebag the sugar. It is because, we have not heard of one smuggler caught and charged. Even these retailers should be charged.

Are the smugglers untouchable?

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We sympathize with former President Joseph Estrada trying hard to be socially accepted by addressing graduates in graduation ceremonies, at the University of Iloilo in Iloilo City.

Some parents reportedly asked, “Is he someone our children should emulate?”

Estrada was chased out of Malacañang in 2001, jailed for 6 years, convicted of economic plunder by the Sandiganbayan, and then pardoned by President Arroyo.

Estrada’s daughter Jackie is married to Manolo “Beaver” Lopez, Jr., nephew of Albertito Lopez, UI president.

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Estrada, having been a movie actor and a politician, always wants to be in the limelight. He believes he is still popular. This delusion made him believe he can run for President again and win.

No question, as a person, Estrada is very good. But having been chased out of Malacañang and jailed and convicted of so big a crime as that of economic plunder, Estrada should know the conviction was on corruption.

If this country has been tagged as the most corrupt country, the problem is our flawed values. We lionize even the corrupt.

His problem is his going around campaigning for the Presidency. If he renounces his Presidential ambition, Erap can be lovable, even as a convict.

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He has a good sense of humor, saying that he himself is a recent graduate from six years and six months of detention.

As I said, he is lovable but should stop speaking of his plans showing he wants to run for President.

He will get a good audience if he just limits himself to denouncing graft and corruption, especially if he would say, he knows it because he was there and, like all penitents, wants that others do not follow what happened to him.

One thing admirable. He still wants to be relevant and be useful to the country. But, not running as President again.

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President Arroyo spoke to investors in Hong Kong the other day. Knowing investors are always wary of a corrupt government, the President said, she is addressing the corruption issue very seriously. We hope to see results.

If she does and turns the country around, why, she can clear her name. But she can only has two years to do that.

If she wants to, this can be done. And we help her by hammering all the time on the corruption issues. There should be no let-up. She needs that.

We must save her from the fate of Ferdinand Marcos who, despite the many good things he had done, still stands as a great villain because of his having been corrupt.

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“World faces food crisis.” Bannerline of Philippine Star.

So, it is not only the Philippines. What is true is our food crisis is worse than in other countries. This year has the lowest wheat stocks ever recorded in 30 years.

Grain prices have been on the rise the past five years. And the escalating prices were due to the increasing shortage. Our fault is we did not see this, despite the figure of our importation which was increasing year after year.

I believe the Philippines can be self sufficient in rice if it musters the political will to do so. Governor Pidio Zayco, in continuing the food security program of the late Gov. Marañon, can look into the other big seven rivers of Negros Occidental.

If tapped for irrigation, Negros Occidental can afford not to import rice. Today, we import some 40 percent of our rice needs. We can even export. We pointed this out since twenty years ago.

We can even supply Negros Oriental.

IRRI said it, productivity wise we are better than Thailand, including sugar. We confirm this. We were there. We produce more per hectare. But we lack the support of government.*

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