JV Ejercito blasts officials conniving with importers, smugglers
February 14, 2023
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito slammed
agriculture and customs officials allegedly conniving with importers and
smugglers for promoting excessive importation and jacking up the price of
agricultural goods.
In an interview, Ejercito said these officials
should be ashamed since President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has already
taken the initiative to lead the country’s agricultural portfolio through the
Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Nasa discretion ng officials yung pagbibigay
ng importation permit. Kitang-kita
natin na may sabwatan sa Bureau of Customs (BOC), sa importers, sa mga traders.
Parang may timing, kung kailan sila magpapasok ng importation, kung kailan nila
ihohoard,” he said.
“Itong
mga DA officials, itong mga agencies, mahiya-hiya naman sila na habang Pangulo
na nga ang nandiyan, wag naman nila pahiyain, di ba? BOC, DA, tingin ko ‘yan
ang mga nagkakakontsaba diyan,” he added.
The lawmaker from San Juan said these
officials, along with large-scale smugglers, should be punished under Republic
Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law, which he principally
authored during his first term in the Senate.
“Sana nga may masampolan dito. Kaya nga
economic sabotage, para magtanda sana. Ang problema, walang nakukulong at
walang nakakasuhan,” he said.
Ejercito said government lenience on
importation and inaction on large-scale smuggling has emboldened criminal
syndicates to engage in large-scale profiteering and hoarding and participate
in agricultural cartels.
He recently filed Senate Bill No. 1688, which
seeks to impose stricter penalties on these exploitative practices.
Once passed, profiteering, hoarding, and
participating in cartels of sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots,
fish, and cruciferous vegetables in the amount of P1 million or rice in the
amount of P10 million will be considered as forms of economic sabotage and
punishable by imprisonment of not less than 17 years.
“Kaya ginawa nating economic sabotage, kasi
pinagkakaitan nila ang ating mga magsasaka ng hanapbuhay. Pag wala silang kita,
wala silang purchasing power. Yung ekonomiya ay di rin tatakbo nang maganda,”
he said.
Meanwhile, Ejercito urged newly appointed
Customs chief Bienvenido Rubio to ramp up the BOC’s operations against
agricultural smuggling.
“Malaki ang magiging papel na kanyang gagampanan para
itong smuggling, itong too much importation, at yung mga nakakalusot ay kanyang
mabantayan,” he said.