Government to file cases against farm smugglers soon, says palace

THE GOVERNMENT has identified smugglers and hoarders based on intelligence reports and would soon file cases against them, the presidential palace said on Wednesday.

The suspects are known to have smuggled farm products in past governments, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said in a statement.

He said a Department of Justice (DoJ) task force against smuggling was still gathering evidence, adding that it had not forwarded its report to the Office of the President.

In his second state of the nation address (SONA) to Congress on July 24, Mr. Marcos Jr. scored hoarders and smugglers, whose “days are numbered.”

He asked Congress to pass a bill seeking to revise the country’s Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.

“That is a personal undertaking of the President,” Mr. Bersamin said. “He really means to deal with these people, the justice that they deserve.”

He said the timeline for the campaign against smugglers would depend on the strength of evidence.

Also on Wednesday, DoJ vowed to go after agricultural smugglers and hoarders.

“We are not going to be weakened by the so-called lack of action before in respect to smugglers and hoarders,” Justice Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez told a news briefing.

“We assure the general public that we will go after them in the strongest possible sense, by the filing of the gravest crime that may be charged and that could be economic sabotage,” he added.

But the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura criticized the Justice department for failing to prosecute smugglers.

“Smugglers and hoarders, and their cohorts in government if any, continue with their criminal ways since no one has been convicted of agriculture smuggling,” it said in a statement.

It added that the Justice department had only received 159 large-scale agricultural smuggling cases from the Bureau of Customs and Department of Agriculture between 2016 and February 2023.

Of the total, 76 cases were dismissed for insufficient evidence, the group said. “Only nine have been filed, but there are still zero convictions.”

It said economic managers have been conveniently attributing inflation to low farm output.

“Five years is enough, our economic managers should accept the realities of unlimited importation and reduction of tariff on basic commodities like rice, pork, chicken and corn did not reduce retail prices,” it said. “Hoarders, profiteers and smugglers are to blame for high prices.”

The Federation of Free Farmers earlier said the President should have mentioned his plan to reinstate the pre-shipment inspection system for imports in his SONA, saying it “a more effective deterrent to smuggling than running after smugglers.”

Meanwhile, minority congressmen said Mr. Marcos had failed to outline policies to lower inflation and curb smuggling.

Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman told the House of Representatives plenary the President had failed to specify the policies his government had adopted to lower inflation.

“Brave words are not enough,” he said of the President’s warning against smugglers. “Swift and resolute actions are imperative.”

Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Marcelino C. Libanan said the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act has not been fully enforced.

“The Bureau of Customs has been violating its provisions with impunity,” he said. “Misinvoicing, misdeclaration, and other falsities in declaration have been going on right under the very nose of Customs authorities.”

He added that the government’s infrastructure projects had been delayed by lack of funds.

Assistant Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas said the taxes proposed by the President would burden the masses amid spiraling prices. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Beatriz Marie D. Cruz and John Victor D. Ordoñez