The Department of Agriculture (DA) is considering blacklisting traders implicated in the onion supply crisis, based on the list recently released by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC).
“In addition to the fines and legal charges, the DA will explore the possibility of blacklisting these unscrupulous traders and potentially withdrawing the accreditation of cold storage facilities whose owners were involved in this scheme,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr.
The DA welcomed the decision of the PCC to file charges against a group of onion traders whose cartel-like activities harmed consumers and the economy.
“I’m pleased with the PCC’s decision. This sends a clear message to all smugglers and unscrupulous traders that we will pursue them,” the DA chief said.
Following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the PCC charged 12 companies and individuals for violating the Philippine Competition Act in their importation and trading of onions.
The investigation found that these traders colluded to control the allocation of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances, allowing them to manipulate over half of the Philippines’ onion import volume, an anti-competitive practice prohibited under the Competition Act.
The implicated traders face legal charges and have been ordered to pay a total of P2.4 billion in fines.
Although the collusion occurred before the DA secretary took office in November, he expressed his strong disapproval of the traders’ actions.
He emphasized that these traders, who were granted importation permits by the DA and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), had a responsibility to ensure a stable onion supply.
“We cannot allow a few individuals, driven by greed, to exploit our farmers and consumers or, worse, undermine our economy,” Tiu Laurel said.
