MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has vowed to file charges against big-time personalities in the government, allegedly involved in the proliferation of smuggled agricultural products in the country.
DA Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Noel Reyes urged the public to report anyone allegedly involved in the unscrupulous act.
“Kung may kilala po kayo, sabihin lang po ninyo ang pangalan, para magawan natin ng kaukulang administrative charges, mahirap ‘yung pahapyaw lang (If you know anyone, name it, that we may file administrative charges, it’s hard if it’s indirect),” he said in a teleradio interview on Tuesday.
The proliferation of smuggled vegetable products is said to be a decades-long problem in the country, which now equates to a PHP2.5-million monetary loss per day on carrots alone, according to the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Areas.
Reyes said farmers may coordinate with the DA’s Marketing Department to at least alleviate the impact of the smuggling problem.
“Kami po ang tulong namin diyan, sumadya sila sa Department of Agriculture, makipag-ugnayan po sa Marketing namin, sa Kadiwa, para madala dito sa Metro Manila ang kanilang mga produkto, makabawi man lang sa product cost (Our help could be, they could go to the Department of Agriculture and coordinate with our Marketing team, in Kadiwa, so that their products will be delivered in Metro Manila, at least they could meet their production cost),” he added.
Shortly after a Senate hearing on smuggling on Monday, DA Secretary William Dar condemned the said unnamed high-ranking personalities and the illegal entry of some vegetable products,
“We condemn whoever these personalities are, and we at DA will act swiftly and decisively to reprimand those involved among our ranks, officials, and staff. If found guilty, we will file the appropriate administrative charges against these individuals… I condemn this dastardly act of smuggling and smugglers in general,” he said.
Untouchables
In the Senate hearing, several lawmakers slammed the ‘rampant’ continuation of ‘technical smuggling’, as if they are being protected.
“Dito walang kilos kahit lantaran, yes compromised, may nakukumpromiso sa BOC (Bureau of Customs) at DA, at may mga untouchable, ayaw nilang habulin, masyado sigurong malapit sa mga nakaupo (There’s no action even though it’s obvious, yes compromised, compromised in BOC and DA, and there are untouchables, they don’t want to go after, maybe it’s so close to those sitting in power),” said Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan.
“Malakas ang loob ni technical smugglers (technical smugglers are brazen), kasi even though I have applied through a difficult process. I have given a lot of my personal data. And yet, I will still do it, hoping or knowing that I will not be charged, or the case will be dismissed… somehow feels na mayroon siyang protection,” Senator Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III said.
Technical smuggling is seen feasible as smugglers subject themselves to legal procedures of acquiring import permit or accreditation, but with the misuse or misdeclaration of data and/or products.
Meanwhile, DA Assistant Secretary Federico Laciste Jr. confirmed that several high-profile personalities have called him to accommodate such operations.
“May mga tumatawag po kasi sa akin noon, mga matatas na tao, pero ang ginawa ko po dun, di ko na po inaksyunan, instead, tinuloy pa rin namin yung paghuli, ‘yung pagkaso. Marami po, malalim na po ‘yung ugat ng problem (There were some who called me, high-profile individuals, but what I did, I did not respond, we still pushed through with the arrest, and the filing of cases. It’s numerous, its roots are deep),” he said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto then asked for the names of the said high-ranking individuals, as he stressed that entry of such products poses threat to the public’s health, adding it contains formaldehyde. Laciste agreed to list down their names.
“[It’s] cancer-causing substance, sprayed in vegetables to keep it fresh, it’s used in building materials in household cleaning products, glues tsaka mga (and) adhesives. Ito ‘yung pinakakakain ng mga smuggler na ito, sarap isaksak sa bunganga nila yung mga iniismuggle nila, wala pang kinikita ‘yung gobyerno (These are what they’re feeding the people. It’s better to put smuggled goods in their mouths, the government has no income),” Sotto said.
In the same hearing, both the DA and the BOC insisted on the automation and modernization of the import procedures and customs system to combat smuggling. (PNA)
SOURCE: https://www.pna.gov.ph
