Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin vowed that the sugar importation fiasco would not happen again under his watch.

During the Commission on Appointments hearing on his ad-interim appointment on Wednesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Bersamin what measure he would implement to prevent sugar fiasco.

“Tingin ko po sa mga nangyari ay talagang miscommunication and since we came to this position, we made sure that this will never happen again by requiring complete staff work ordinarily, and complete staff work at that time might have avoided this confusion and miscommunication,” he said.

“Right now we do not anymore tolerate a lack of coordination that happened here, and imposed on everyone to assume or presume that the President already approved a certain act until and unless me or my senior deputy Executive Secretary have signified the approval. This is to avoid the unnecessary presumptuous action taken in that fiasco,” he added.

The sugar fiasco stemmed from the Sugar Order (SO) no. 4 released by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA). The order directed the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar last August.

The Malacañang then announced that President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. “did not authorize” the importation proposal and deemed the resolution “illegal”.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducted an investigation where former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez admitted he received draft of SO4 but ignored it.

After several hearings, the panel cleared Rodriguez and charged criminal and administrative cases against four officials involved.

Bersamin also said that they have enforce a strict “documentation process” wherein employees are tasked to guarantee that messages are sent to the proper office through proper channels.

“Because that is the only way to ensure the accountability in the handling of important communications like these. Right now that is being strictly enforced in our jurisdiction,” he added.

When asked about how urgent matters are being communicated, Bersamin said his office immediately communicates to the Office of the President and the Chief of Staff would respond to them regarding the matter.

The CA panel then approved the appointments of Bersamin.

"I accepted the President's invitation without hesitation for it was a call to continue serving our people and country in a greater capacity,” he said.

“I was fully aware too that the position of executive secretary despite the highest prestige and stature it would bring to me as a person would come with the most challenging demands. But I am confident that my varied experience in the public service, in general and the judiciary in particular, would serve me in good stead in overcoming the myriad challenges,” he added.