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Crackdown on cartels manipulating prices urged

January 19, 2025 Camille P. Balagtas 67 views

GO after the cartels.”

This was the reaction of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri amid persistent rice price surges and the government’s reportedly impending declaration of a national food emergency.

Zubiri has underscored the critical need to address high agricultural commodity prices as he attributed the escalating costs to cartel manipulation, urging stronger enforcement of existing laws to all concerned agencies.

“Alam mo, ginawa natin ang Anti-Smuggling Act at pinirmahan ng Presidente nuong nakaraang taon. Siguro implementation na lang niyan. I don’t think we need to create any more laws. I don’t think we need to amend any more laws,” Zubiri said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently revealed plans to declare a national food emergency, reportedly citing the failure of market forces to bring down rice prices despite government interventions, including reduced import tariffs.

“Ang supply-and-demand curve ay hindi sinusunod dahil mataas pa rin ang presyo ng bigas kahit ginawa na ng gobyerno ang lahat upang pababain ang gastos sa produksyon,” President Marcos was quoted as saying.

Zubiri echoed the same concerns, insisting that cartels were behind all this kind of manipulations.

“Alam natin nasa puso ng Pangulo ang taumbayan kaya nga hinawakan niya ang agriculture. Siguro dapat magmura na ang Pangulo. Ikulong para matakot sila.” Zubiri said.

Based on reports, rice prices have remained significantly above the government’s target of P29 per kilogram, with local rice priced between P37 and P63 per kilogram as of mid-January.

The President reportedly suggested that illegal practices such as hoarding and price fixing have contributed to these disruptions, prompting ongoing investigations by Congress.

Zubiri highlighted the need for the government to prioritize the interests of farmers and consumers.

Under the Anti-Smuggling Act, violators face severe penalties, including over 20 years of imprisonment and fines reaching billions of pesos.

However, Zubiri stressed that enforcement, not legislation, remains the bottleneck.

“Ang jail time, fines of billions of pesos or tens of millions of pesos, napakabigat,” he said.

With the National Price Coordinating Council reportedly expected to formalize a recommendation for a food emergency declaration, the administration appears poised to address these challenges head-on.

The proposed declaration would empower the Department of Agriculture to take extraordinary measures, such as releasing buffer stocks to stabilize prices and pursuing legal actions against violators.