By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has expressed bewilderment over the attempted theft of 1,000 sugar bags earlier this week.

Lacson wondered what the two truck drivers were thinking when they decided to allegedly steal sugar bags as they were supposed to deliver the supplies to Iloilo province.

“Two truckloads of sugar? I mean, where can you hide that?” Lacson said.

He said it was important that the suspects were quickly apprehended by law enforcement.

The governor also hopes the supply owner, Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company, will also file criminal charges against the suspects.

Earlier, Bago City police said the company would file qualified theft and carnapping charges against the drivers, identified as Jujiet Arseño of Iloilo province’s Pototan town, and Michael Oryen of Cadiz City.

At least 35 bags were recovered at an abandoned warehouse in Bago City on Tuesday afternoon, September 26.

Police figured out that the drivers were never hijacked as they tracked down the trucks though Global Positioning System.

The estimated value of the stolen sugar bags was around P3.2 million.

The United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines calls for a deeper investigation into the incident, saying it is possible that they could also be victimized./DGB, WDJ