Rep. Elizaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list on Tuesday lauded the recent arrest of a suspected large-scale onion smuggler.
Co, chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, said the arrest of Jayson de Roxas Taculog was a clear indicator of the administration’s determined efforts to combat agricultural smuggling in the Philippines.
“The apprehension of Mr. Taculog, following the confiscation of P78.9 million worth of illegally imported agricultural goods, is tangible proof of President Marcos’ commitment to ending this detrimental practice,” Co said.
“This is not mere lip service. The President’s pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address – that the days of agricultural smugglers are numbered is now being actualized.”
Taculog was taken into custody following the issuance of an arrest warrant by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 Judge Edilu Hayag. The arrest was preceded by the seizure of a substantial quantity of illegally imported agricultural goods consigned to Taculog J International Consumer Goods Trading.
Co emphasized the broader impact of smuggling on the agricultural sector, noting, “Smuggling affects more than just the taxes.”
In the legislature, Co hailed the passage on third and final reading of House Bill (HB) 9284, known as the Large-scale Agri-Fishery Commodities or Tobacco Hoarding, Profiteering, Cartelizing, and other Acts of Market Abuse as Economic Sabotage Act.