The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday issued an open letter in support of Sugar Regulatory Administrator Rafael Coscolluela.

The officers and members of MBCCI are “profoundly disheartened by the chilling repercussion of the resurrected criminal charges against Administrator Coscolluela,” a copy of the letter sent to the DAILY STAR by MBCCI vice president Jose Ma. Zayco said.

“Despite the hideous attempts and veiled and attacks to besmirch his reputation, MBCCI remains unshaken and continues to solidly affirm our unequivocal support for Lito Coscolluela’s integrity, honesty and professionalism,” the chamber’s letter said.

The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, the Philippine Sugar Corp., and the Planters Association of Southern Negros Inc. through its chairman Franklin Fuentebella earlier also expressed their support for Coscolluela amid suspected attempts to remove him from office.

Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, also said the Philippine Sugar Alliance will rally behind Coscolluela if smugglers move to have him removed from office for campaigning against sugar smuggling.

Coscolluela last week said trial by publicity moves against him on a case lodged before the Sandiganbayan “look like an orchestrated campaign to embarrass him in public.”

“I suspect that this is part of a campaign to remove me from SRA because of our anti-smuggling campaign.  We’ve apparently hurt a few people and now we’ve heard there is an effort to have me replaced,” he said.

The graft charges filed against Coscolluela, who has posted bail, has been reported in numerous articles published in national newspapers recently.

Coscolluela has recently been accused before the Sandiganbayan of buying allegedly overpriced medical and farm equipment worth P20 million in May 2001 from a supplier without any license from the Bureau of Food and Drugs eight years ago when he was still governor of Negros Occidental.*CPG

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