AMID the government’s reinvigorated campaign to clamp down on corruption, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has called for the immediate arrest and blacklisting of brokers and suspected smugglers and hoarders who have been identified by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to be involved in the misdeclaration of agricultural products.
Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, said the individuals could be charged with the non-bailable offense of economic sabotage the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
The law, which was signed into law on September 2024, states that the smuggling of agricultural products worth P10 million and up is a non-bailable offense.
Pangilinan said the government should act fast and blacklist the following brokers and the companies suspected to be engaged in smuggling and hoarding: 1024 Consumer Goods Trading (customs broker: Loujin Ann Ramos Tenero); Berches Consumer Goods Trading (customs brokers: Berly Ramos, Efren Abello Jr., Gretchen Francisco Gimeno, Jason Alolor Ejes, John Cyril Mapa Imperial, Kimmuel Gler Lopez, Lyn Dinglasan Estrella, Muscholary Gonzales, Myr Torre Ramos, Richelle Ramirez, and Rodalyn Goc Ong); EPCB Consumer Goods Trading (customs broker: Ellaine Joy Gedaria); Quuenstar Industry Consumer Trading (customs broker: Judy Ann Gumban Jungco); and Vox Enterprises OPC (customs broker: Abegail Gruta Yumang).
The individuals and companies were named during Wednesday’s committee hearing, which was attended by BOC and DA officials, among others.
The identified brokers and companies were supposedly involved in the misdeclaration of agricultural products, including frozen mackerel and red and white onions, which operatives from the BOC and the DA found hidden in 10 container vans during a joint inspection conducted in the Port of Subic last month.
Pangilinan said he will ask the BOC to explain what happened to the brokers and suspected smugglers when he calls for another committee hearing on August 27.
Pangilinan said the P15 to P20 million worth of confiscated goods which were initially reported might be manipulated to be just below P10 million in the final documentation, which he said would no longer be considered as economic sabotage.
“Our concern is that they are supposed to (face a) non-bailable (offense). If the actual valuation was found out, they should have been charged and the court will issue a warrant of arrest so they cannot go scot-free. They won’t be able to get out of jail while the cases are tried in court,” he said in Filipino.
He also asked why only three cases have been filed and are all still under investigation since the law was enacted last year, adding that those who been arrested and are currently detained are warehouse personnel, and not the actual brokers and suspected smugglers.
“Does this mean that authorities have not confiscated items worth more than P10 million? That is very hard to understand because the rice industry [for example], is a P300 billion-plus industry. I really cannot believe that the [smuggled] items entering the country are less than P10 million,” he said.
During the hearing, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said the agency does not have enforcement powers to run after smugglers and brokers.
Tiu-Laurel has earlier said they would ask Malacañang to give the DA’s Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) enforcement power so they can run after smugglers, hoarders and corrupt brokers.
The DA has been conducting joint inspections with the BOC and the PNP of warehouses to clamp down on agricultural smuggling.
