Gov’t means business in smuggling crackdown — solon
A House leader stressed that the arrest of a suspected smuggler is a clear indicator of the Marcos administration’s determined efforts to combat agricultural smuggling in the Philippines.
In a statement, chairman of the House committee on appropriations and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co has has lauded the recent arrest of a suspected large-scale onion smuggler, Jayson de Roxas Taculog.
Co pointed out that the apprehension of Mr. Taculog, following the confiscation of P78.9 million worth of illegally imported agricultural goods, is tangible proof of President Marcos’ commitment to ending this detrimental practice.
“This is not mere lip service. The President’s pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address – that the days of agricultural smugglers are numbered is now being actualized,” he said.
Reports said that Taculog was taken into custody following the issuance of an arrest warrant by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 Judge Edilu Hayag. The arrest was preceded by the seizure of a substantial quantity of illegally imported agricultural goods consigned to Taculog J International Consumer Goods Trading.
Co emphasized the broader impact of smuggling on the agricultural sector, noting, “Smuggling affects more than just the taxes.
In the legislative, Co highlighted the progress of House Bill (HB) No. 9284, known as the Large-scale Agri-Fishery Commodities or Tobacco Hoarding, Profiteering, Cartelizing, and other Acts of Market Abuse as Economic Sabotage Act.
