Reform DA, BOC to stop smuggling , gov’t urged
A group of farmers is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to do a major overhaul and cleansing of some of the government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs in a bid to get rid of smuggling.
Marcos sits as temporary in-charge of the DA and its attached agencies.
According to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Marcos should uproot the masterminds and minions of large-scale agriculture smuggling within the DA and the BoC.
Based on the report gathered by the Senate Committee of the Whole, there are major players and key personalities involved in massive smuggling of agricultural and fishery products from 2019 to 2022.
According to the report, some P667 million worth of agri-fisheries products were smuggled during the said period. Smuggling activities in agriculture are considered economic sabotage under Republic Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
As President and concurrent agriculture secretary, Marcos should have at least directed the Office of the Ombudsman to act on the report submitted by former Senate President Tito Sotto III.
“It was not a simple report nor list of individuals, it implicated ranking officials of the Bureau of Customs, and the Department of Agriculture, including former secretary William Dar,” the KMP stressed.
“With this information on syndicated smuggling, the government can easily track and pin down all those who are responsible for large-scale agriculture smuggling which continues to undermine the livelihood of farmers,” the group added.
Even Marcos Jr.’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, has kept on badgering Bongbong to act on agriculture smuggling.
She recently castigated the illegal importation of some 300,000 metric tons of white onions, saying that smugglers are creating a supply shortage to justify bringing in more imported agricultural products.
