THE Committee on Agriculture and Food met at one o’clock this afternoon to consider the appeal of Atty Ryan Jan Cruz to lift the contempt orders issued by the Committee during its March 7, 2023 inquiry on the possible hoarding and other acts of price manipulation of agricultural commodities to:
Mr. John Patrick Sevilla
Operations Manager
Argo Cold Storage
Mr. Efren Zoleta Jr.
President
Argo Cold Storage
Atty. Ryan Jan Cruz
External Counsel
Argo Cold Storage
Signifying their willingness to cooperate, help in the ongoing inquiry and having complied with the documentary requirements requested, the Committee unanimously agreed to lift the contempt orders and begin the process of their release.
2 cited for contempt voluntary surrender
Two individuals who were cited in contempt by the House Committee on Agriculture voluntarily turned themselves in at the House of Representatives past noon Monday, and will be held in detention for 10 days.
ARGO Trading president and general manager Efren Zoleta Jr. and legal counsel Jan Ryan Cruz voluntarily presented themselves to Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas around 1:30 p.m. Monday in response to the contempt order, which was decided during the last committee hearing on reported price manipulation of onion.
They will be joined in detention by Argo Trading operation manager John Patrick Sevilla, who was being held for safekeeping at the House of Representatives detention center since March 7.
The Committee on Agriculture has voted to cite the three in contempt and ordered them detained for 10 days for refusal to cooperate and turn over documents crucial in the investigation.
Acting on the committee’s request, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has signed an arrest order for Zoleta and Atty. Cruz after they failed to attend the last committee hearing.
I take this opportunity to reiterate the warning of our Speaker: 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.
If need be, we will effect the arrest of those who refuse to cooperate with our investigation. Ipakukulong din po namin ang mga magtatangkang magsinungaling sa aming mga hearing.
Malinaw po ang instruction sa amin ni Speaker Romualdez. Kailangang maipababa ang presyo ng sibuyas sa lalong madaling panahon. Kailangang makilala kung sino ang bumubuo ng kartel na nagmamanipula ng presyo ng bilihin. Kailangang buwagin ang mga kartel na ito na nagpapahirap sa bayan
