Enverga: Ex-DA execs must answer question regarding ‘onion cartel’
A LAWMAKER yesterday said there are a lot of questions that former officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) must answer, in relation to the cartel that is said to be responsible for the increase in the price of onions to P700 per kilo last year.
According to House Committee on Agriculture and Food chairperson Cong. Mark Enverga, former officials of DA headed by then Secretary William Dar, have a lot of explaining to do.
“Based on the diagram presented by Cong. Stella Quimbo, former Sec. Dar has a lot of explaining to do. Katulad ng sinabi rin ni Cong. Stella for a cartel to fly kinakailangan may kasama rin sa gobyerno, hindi mangyayari ang cartel o hindi magiging successful iyung operations kung walang kasabwat,” the lawmaker added regarding the investigation being conducted by his committee on the said cartel, which stemmed from the appeal of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Based from information gathered during the nine hearings conducted by the committee, Quimbo was able to create a matrix which pointed to the connection of Cruz to the buying of local and imported onions, how they were using the storage facility to buy the harvested onions of local farmers in a very low price, and how they limit the supply of onions to increase its prices in the market.
“I think this time mas malakas po ang ebidensiya na nagli-link na naman sa kanila,” according to Enverga.
Meanwhile, Quimbo said that ‘onion cartel’ was able to control at least 68.74% of the total importation of yellow onions and 41% of red onions in 2022.
She stressed that even if the alleged ‘sibuyas queen’ is not the one directly importing onions but that she was able to use the companies connected to PhilVIEVA, which she owned.
“Klaro na patuloy siyang nag-import ng sibuyas despite all her denials. Nagsinungaling siya sa atin sa Kongreso bagamat siya ay under oath. Ang katanungan, paano napayagan ng Bureau of Plants Industry (BPI) na patuloy na makapag-import despite being blacklisted,” Quimbo asked.
BPI is the attached agency of DA which issues importation permit to ensure that there is enough supply of onions in the country and lower its prices.
The BPI has failed to import onions during the later part of 2022 which resulted to the lack of supply and increase of its prices.
