Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food Sen. Cynthia A. Villar said she and Sen. JV Ejercito have discussed making amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act which was enacted into law in 2016.
Based on the law’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) crafted by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Villar said the said agency will decide if the smuggling of agricultural products is sabotage or not.
She noted that this is the reason why nobody from the BOC, which mandate is to prevent smuggling, has been punished despite the involvement of some of its unscrupulous personnel.
“It’s a conflict of interest that the BOC linked to the case drafted the IRR,” Villar said.
However, Villar wants to maintain the amount of smuggled goods that can be declared “economic sabotage” and non-bailable if proven true as provided in the prevailing law.
Ejercito proposed an amendment in the law wherein aside from the Bureau of Customs,
the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police should be tasked to punish those implicated in the smuggling of agricultural products.
Also to be included in the law that should be held liable are those involved in profiteering, cartel, and hoarding of agricultural products to protect Filipino farmers.
Meanwhile, Villar also told the Department of Agriculture (DA) to build cold storage facilities and watch over local traders to ensure that local onion farmers will benefit from them.
This was also the call made by Sen. Imee Marcos to the DA, saying they are being given the necessary budget.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros noted that onion farmers will need these cold storage facilities during the harvest season this coming February until April. She said this will be our onion supply until the next harvest in 2024.
Bureau of Plant Industry OIC Gerald Panganiban said there is P240 million budget for cold storage facilities for this year. He related that this will be constructed in Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4B.