Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in running after large-scale agricultural smugglers.
Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, indicated that he wanted a stronger enforcement of Republic Act 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.
Salceda issued the call during his committee’s hearing on the agricultural smuggling issue, stressing that the law considers large-scale agricultural smuggling as “economic sabotage.”
“Large scale agricultural smuggling is the single gravest sin to Philippine society today. I am disappointed in the Department of Justice that it does not use the efforts of the NBI enough,” Salceda said, in response to the DOJ’s admission that it merely uses its own initiative to pursue cases referred by the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“I am the father of the National Prosecutor Service, having been the first Budget chairman to provide its needed financial requirements during the time of PGMA (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). I am disappointed that those resources are not being optimized to pursue these cases,” Salceda said.
“Leaving the prosecutors to figure out these cases based on the facts from the BOC is a rather simplistic approach to this. I am making this statement that the NBI should be more involved in pursuing cases against these smugglers,” Salceda stressed.
Salceda acknowledged issues of jurisdiction in the prosecution of cases of agricultural smuggling.
“The implementing agency of the law is unfortunately the Bureau of Customs, so there appears to be an issue of clarity about who should take the lead in pursuing these cases,” Salceda noted.
He also cited the mandate of the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG), under the Philippine National Police, that included “monitoring, investigation and prosecution of all crimes involving economic sabotage.”
“I think we need to clear that up. It appears that RA 10845 will fall under the jurisdiction of this committee as well,” Salceda added.
Salceda also said he was mulling amendments to the Special Safeguards Law, such that regardless of whether imported goods are smuggled or not, the safeguards would apply.
“All income regardless of legality of source is taxable. All trade, whether legal or smuggled, should also be considered trade volume regardless, so that we can also protect the local agricultural sector.”