Irrigators and farmers’ associations from Pangasinan, La Union and Central Luzon have lauded the Abono Party-list for successfully shepherding the passage in Congress of a measure declaring large-scale smuggling of agricultural products as economic sabotage.
Under the Anti-Large-Scale Agricultural Smuggling Act, the amount of smuggled agricultural products subject to economic sabotage should be equal to or more than P10 million for rice, and equal to or more than P1 million for other agricultural products such as sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onions, carrots, fish, and cruciferous vegetables.
In separate letters addressed to Abono Party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III, principal author of the Anti-Large-Scale Agricultural Smuggling Act in the House of Representatives, the heads and officers of the Pangasinan Federation of Irrigators’ Association Inc., the Provincial Confederation of Irrigators’ Association of La Union, and the Cabanatuan-based UPRIIS Confederation of Farmer-Irrigators’ Associations Inc. have emphasized the importance of the measure to protect local farmers from smuggled agricultural products that have been flooding the market.
“We are very thankful to you [Cong. Estrella] and to Senator Cynthia Villar for passing this bill before the House of Representatives and the Senate. We especially laud you for making large-scale smuggling of agricultural products a non-bailable criminal offense,” UCFIA president Dante Lazatin said.
Under the approved measure, traders who use cooperatives’ permits for smuggling purposes and officers of dummy corporations, non-government organizations, or associations who knowingly sell, lend, lease, assign, and allow the unauthorized use of their import permits will be considered violators of the act. They will face a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled agricultural product and the aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided.
“This measure will be very helpful for us farmers, and we hope that His Excellency, President Benigno Aquino III, will sign this into law immediately to give us farmers the full measure of protection under the law,” added PFIA president Oftociano Manalo. This sentiment is echoed by PCIALU chapters officials led by Dominador Aquino, who has also hailed the passage of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act for this same reason.
“This measure, which has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, is necessary. We have to curb the smuggling of agricultural products so that we can boost the income of our farmers,” Estrella stressed. The party-list lawmaker also said that the measure levels the playing field for small farmers and backyard raisers, who will surely see their purchasing power improve as a result.
“Majority of our consumers are farmers or are dependent on agriculture, and strengthening their purchasing power will surely benefit the manufacturing sector as well as all kinds of businesses and services rendered by professionals,” Estrella said. “If we boost their income, it will pump prime the economy because there will be more taxes to collect. There will then be more revenues to finance basic services. And we can achieve all this by minimizing, if not totally eradicating, the large-scale smuggling of agricultural products.”
“Illegal acts of smuggling are being carried out in many forms,” Estrella lamented. “Rampant smuggling into the country greatly affects the agriculture sector. We must have safeguards against more sophisticated forms of smuggling so that we can help increase the income opportunities of local producers and alleviate the poverty of many of our farmers as well as the rest of the agricultural industry.”
