The question that everyone is asking is this–how many more newly appointed officials of this administration had the temerity to assume what President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Junior wanted to be done in the government? What happened at the Sugar Regulatory Administration is not just shameful– it is grossly unethical and borders on the criminal. It should not end with a mere act of submitting a resignation letter– the President should make this an example to show how sincere he is in ridding the bureaucracy of officials who commit misfeasance and malfeasance in their jobs. Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, who signed that importation order, must not just get the boot–but charged as well for falsely assuming a function that he is not empowered to dispense.

Imagine, a mere undersecretary took it upon himself to sign an importation order without consulting his principal, BBM. While Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian did tender his resignation, all the rest of those appointed in the said agency did not. Shameful because these officials want it to appear that it was Sebastian alone who did the act, and we all know that he is but one of at least eight (8) officials of the SRA who reportedly conspired with several sugar traders to create an impression of a sugar shortage to justify importation.

If you remember, Senator Imee Marcos, the president’s sister, urged his brother to expose these shenanigans in government in his State of the Nation Address (SONA). She got the information that something fishy is going on not just in the SRA but even in the rice sector now reportedly being lorded still by seven big-time rice importers known as the “rice cartel.” In previous incidents, several Marcos associates had busted the vegetable cartel, and I heard that several still are being asked to stop their illicit activities pronto otherwise, hell may break loose.

President Marcos junior should not treat these incidents with kid’s gloves. He must charge Sebastian and even revamp the SRA to communicate that he means business ridding the government of corruption. Otherwise, these newly appointed officials would perceive that he tolerates such acts and even possibly form a wrongful impression of the President that “he’s also in it” himself. Such perception may possibly lead to the downfall of this administration.