JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he would personally inquire into the number and status of the rice smuggling cases pending before the Justice Department after President Rodrigo Duterte warned traders to stop operating rice cartels.
Guevarra made the assurance following the appeals to file charges against rice smugglers to deter them from continuing with their illegal activities.
“I’m checking if there are other rice-smuggling cases being investigated,” Guevarra said.
“The DoJ will evaluate all available evidence and will act accordingly.”
Senator Cynthia Villar recently urged the Justice department and the Philippine Competition Commission to sanction at least one rice smuggler to show that the government is serious in implementing the laws against rice smuggling.
Villar, head of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, echoed Duterte’s warning to smugglers to “stop messing with the people” during his third State of the Nation Address.
One of the latest rice smuggling cases filed before the Justice department is the complaint filed by the Bureau of Customs on July 26 against Santa Rosa Farms president and general manager Jomerito Soliman, chief financial officer Dolores Opancia, directors Mary Grace Cayanan and Marileen Avañez. Also named respondent was the reported licensed customs broker Diosdado Santiago.
They were alleged to have illegally imported 200 container vans of rice from Thailand that arrived at the Manila International Container Port.