MANILA — The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Monday said it would recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sell to Kadiwa outlets the 4,000 metric tons of smuggled white sugar seized in a Batangas port last week.

In a statement, SRA administrator David Alba said he would make the recommendation so the public could "enjoy refined sugar at a lower cost."

The Kadiwa program is a project by the Department of Agriculture (DA) which allows farmers to directly sell their produce to consumers at much lower prices.

Alba thanked the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for their “vigilance that led to the seizure of the smuggled sugar."

He also warned traders involved with the attempted smuggling that the "full force of the law" would go after them, adding that he has asked all government enforcement agencies to provide his office with the necessary information to go after sugar smugglers.

Last Saturday, the BOC intercepted a vessel named "MV Sunward" after it docked at the Port of Batangas carrying 80,000 bags of white refined sugar from Thailand without the necessary legal documents.

According to the BOC, the vessel arrived at the port without a notice of arrival as prescribed by law.

The confiscated white sugar had an estimated amount of P261 million.

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