In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

2 persons cited in contempt by House panel surrender

By Zaldy De Layola

March 14, 2023, 5:26 pm

MANILA – Two officials of ARGO Trading have surrendered a week after the House Committee on Agriculture cited them in contempt for refusing to turn over the documents asked by the panel in connection with the hoarding that led to the recent spike in onion prices.

ARGO Trading president and general manager Efren Zoleta Jr. and legal counsel Jan Ryan Cruz presented themselves to House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas at around 1:30 p.m. Monday.

The two will be detained at the House premises for 10 days.

On March 7, Argo Trading operation manager John Patrick Sevilla was detained for refusal to turn over the list of their clients who stored onions in their facility.

Committee chairperson Quezon 1st District Rep. Mark Enverga earlier decided to cite the ARGO Trading officials for failure to present the necessary documents to the panel that is investigating the alleged hoarding and price manipulation of onions.

“I take this opportunity to reiterate the warning of our Speaker (Martin Romualdez): we will not hesitate to use the full powers of the House of Representatives to ferret out who were behind the price manipulation of onion and other agricultural products,” Enverga said.

Romualdez has directed Enverga’s panel to conduct the probe on Feb. 5, and possibly recommend the filing of economic sabotage charges against alleged “unscrupulous traders and hoarders of onion and garlic.”

He emphasized that the House leadership would “not allow anyone to make a mockery of the hearings now being conducted by the Committee on Agriculture and Food.” (PNA)

Comments