By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (Unifed) is calling for a deeper investigation into the 1,000 sugar bags worth P3 million allegedly stolen in Negros Occidental’s Bago City on Monday night, September 25.

Unifed president Manuel Lamata, in an emergency meeting yesterday, admitted it is possible that local sugar groups could also be victimized following the incident.

Lamata believed there are more personalities involved in the theft, and a larger group may be behind the incident.

He also lauded the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office for tracking down the alleged stolen sugar.

At least 35 sugar bags were recovered in an abandoned warehouse in Bago’s Barangay Busay on Tuesday afternoon, September 26.

Meanwhile, Bago police chief, Lt. Colonel Jay Malong said the owner of the stolen sugar bags and the trucking services have expressed their desire to file criminal charges against the truck drivers.

Malong said the drivers — identified as Jojit Arceño of Iloilo province’s Pototan town, and Michael Orquin of Negros Occidental’s Cadiz City — are facing charges of carnapping and qualified theft.

Bago police discovered that the truck drivers stopped in Hinigaran town to get their ferry tickets, as they were supposed to deliver the sugar bags to Iloilo from Binalbagan town.

The drivers claimed the trucks were allegedly hijacked after they were apprehended by five unidentified individuals in La Carlota City on Monday night.

However, the drivers were unaware that the trucks were equipped with a Global Positioning System tracker, which led the authorities to quickly solve the incident.

Malong believed there were more individuals involved in the incident, as one of the arrested drivers had already revealed the mastermind behind the theft./DGB, WDJ