PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday vowed to unmask the people behind and put an end to the activities of agricultural cartels in the country even as he refused to set a deadline to the investigation which he ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to carry out.
The President, in a media interview on the sidelines of the 6th Livestock Philippines Expo 2023 in Pasay City, said that while government investigators do not have a timeline to stick to, “siyempre gusto ko tapusin nila kaagad pero kailangan tapos, hindi hilaw (Of course, I want them to finish [the probe] immediately but it should not be behalf-baked).”
“Hindi ako mahilig magbigay ng deadline (I do not like giving deadlines). Let them do their investigation,” he also said.
Marcos said his administration is bent on stopping the illegal activities of the agricultural cartels, especially the smuggling, hoarding and price fixing of farm produce, which have badly impacted the country’s agricultural sector, the farmers, and the economy.
“Ang utos ko sa DOJ atsaka sa NBI, (sinabi) ko sa kanila ay kailangan malaman ninyo na, hindi lamang sa sibuyas kung hindi pati ‘yung mga (ibang) sindikato, marami talagang sindikato na nag-o-operate pa, para habulin na natin, matigil ‘yung kanilang ginagawa (My orders to the DOJ and NBI is for them to identify not just those engaged in onions, but also other syndicates, there are a lot of syndicates operating, to go after them and stop what they are doing),” he said.
“Hindi nila (cartels) maaari ituloy ‘yung kanilang ginagawa. Tama na ‘yan at tigilan na nila ‘yung kanilang masasayang ginagawa dati (The cartels cannot continue their activities. It’s time to stop their happy days),” he added.
Marcos said the government will pursue its campaign against the cartels, which he said could be charged with economic sabotage for contributing to the hunger and even deaths of many Filipinos.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he will form a special team of investigators to conduct the probe and a team panel of prosecutors to start building a case against the people involved in the illegal activities.
Marcos’ order is an offshoot of the legislative inquiry conducted by the Committee on Agriculture and Food of the House of Representatives into the hoarding and price fixing of onions during the last quarter of 2022.
The House committee probe has established that an agricultural cartel allegedly operated through the Philippine VIEVA Group of Companies Inc. (PVGCI), which has been engaged in various activities including farming, importation, local trading, warehousing, and logistics.
The prices of onion skyrocketed in December last year, on a perceived supply shortage of the agricultural bulbs. But data from the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry showed there was “only a modest shortage of approximately 7.56 percent in 2022, which could not justify the significant inflation rates reaching 87 percent in December of that year.”
Cold storage facility owners have also denied the shortage, saying there was ample supply in their storage facilities at the time.
COOPERATE
The House of Representatives will cooperate with the DOJ and the NBI in going after the onion cartel which is behind the hoarding and price manipulation of the agricultural product.
“The House of Representatives is ready to provide our authorities with the data uncovered from our committee hearings to provide them a head start in their own investigation,” said Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was the one who called for a congressional probe in December last year when prices of onion surged to over P700 a kilo.
The House panel, which is chaired by Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, was able to unmask key cartel personalities and allied firms believed to be involved in onion smuggling and hoarding.
Romualdez said the President’s directive “should be enough to deter further supply manipulation of agricultural products and help stabilize prices, especially amid reports that prices of onion are on the rise again.”
“This is a welcome development, a decisive action that manifests the President’s resolve to clamp down on unscrupulous businessmen preying on hapless Filipino consumers and hampering his administration’s efforts to sustain the robust growth of our economy,” he said.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, a senior vice chair of the panel, has said some members of the BPI are working in cahoots with the onion cartel in the country led by trader Leah Cruz who, according to her, remains the “undisputed Sibuyas Queen.”
According to Quimbo, the cartel which operates through a group of companies, was engaged in various activities in the supply chain such as farming, importation, local trading, warehousing, and logistics.
Malacañang has said the President’s directive was based on Quimbo’s memorandum which shows substantial evidence pointing to the existence of an onion cartel which could be behind the surge in onion prices in 2022.
Quimbo said seeing the Executive “taking proactive measures brings hope that the cartel’s days will be over, sooner rather than later.”
“The entities involved in the alleged onion cartel also have long-standing pending cases for cartel activities involving garlic. The President’s instructions to the DOJ and NBI are expected to fast-track the ongoing investigation of the PCC (Philippine Competition Commission) on the onion cartel,” she said.
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., who also played a huge role in exposing the cartel members during the hearing, said the President’s order shows his seriousness in protecting both “consumers and the farmers who till the land to ensure that we’ll all have food to eat.”
“The President’s order also shows that he had been following our hearings and that he recognizes the huge role it played in helping dismantle the biggest onion cartel in the country to restore the prices of agricultural products to its previous level,” he said.
The Speaker said the President’s directive should be enough to deter further supply manipulation of agricultural products and help stabilize prices, especially amid reports that prices of onion are again on the rise.
He said the House will continue to monitor prices, especially of basic staples like rice, vegetables, meat, onions, and garlic, “to protect our people from hoarding, price manipulation, unreasonable price increases, and other practices in restraint of trade and which hamper competition.”
“That is part of our oversight function. We have the appropriate tools to carry this out, including conducting follow-up hearings and summoning suspected hoarders, smugglers and cartel leaders if needed. We will not shirk from our duty to help our people,” he said. — With Wendell Vigilia
