NEGROS OCCIDENTAL COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT VS EX-SRA CHIEF

BACOLOD CITY—A Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Negros Occidental has issued an arrest warrant against the former Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief who was cited for indirect contempt for issuing a memorandum allowing the importation of sugar despite a court order to the contrary.

Judge Walter Zorilla of the RTC Branch 55 in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, in an 11-page decision, issued the arrest warrant after he ordered the imprisonment of Hermenegildo Serafica for 15 days and pay a fine of P30,000.

The Inquirer tried but failed to reach Serafica for comment as of Saturday.

The warrant of arrest dated Sept. 26 ordered law enforcers to locate and arrest Serafica, whose last known address was at the Sugar Center Building, North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

Preliminary injunction

Zorilla cited Serafica for indirect contempt for ignoring his May 2 writ of preliminary injunction that directed the SRA, its agents and representatives or persons acting in its behalf to cease and desist from implementing the sugar importation embodied under Sugar Order (SO) No. 3.

Two days later, on May 4, Serafica issued SRA Memorandum Circular No. 11 allowing the importation of 200,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, except in western Visayas.

‘Willfully disregarded’

Zorilla said Serafica willfully disregarded and manifestly disobeyed the writ of preliminary injunction when he issued Memorandum Circular No. 11.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Enrique Tayo, chair of the Negros Occidental Federation of Farmers’ Association, early this year. Tayo, who was later joined by intervenor David Alba, former general manager of the Asociacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra (AALCPI) and currently the acting SRA administrator, filed a civil case that sought for a preliminary injunction against the SRA, then represented by Serafica.

Sugar groups earlier called out the SRA and the Department of Agriculture for proceeding with the importation of refined sugar mandated by SO 3 despite a pending case against such action.

Last Aug. 15, Serafica, along with other board officials, tendered their resignation following another sugar importation mess, this time involving the botched importation of 300,000 MT of sugar that was authorized by the SRA without the approval of President Marcos.