By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
A year after the passage of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act (Republic Act No. 12022) into law, the Department of Agriculture (D.A.) reaffirmed its commitment to fight smugglers of agricultural commodities in the country, renewing the call for further amendments to beef up the enforcement of R.A. 12022.
In a submitted statement to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Senator Francis Pangilinan, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the D.A.-Inspectorate and Enforcement (D.A.-IE) conducted 182 anti-smuggling operations between January 2024 and July 2025, leading to the confiscation of P3.78 billion worth of illegal agricultural and fishery goods.
Secretary Tiu-Laurel said, “We’ve blacklisted 20 importers under my watch—13 of whom were operating without licenses. Garapal talaga. Mabuti pa ang mga buwaya, tumitigil kapag busog na.”
Multiple cases related to agricultural smuggling were already filed in Manila and Olongapo City, with more legal actions underway as D.A. builds its evidence base.
The Agriculture Chief, meanwhile, noted that R.A. No. 12022 still has provisions that need to be revised to ensure accountability for those behind agri-smuggling, calling for a lower threshold for an offense to qualify as economic sabotage and a way for D.A. to gain direct enforcement authority to better monitor the situation on the ground.
Tiu-Laurel concluded, citing the need for stronger coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “The law is a step in the right direction, but without enforcement powers, our hands are tied. We cannot fully protect our farmers and fisherfolk.”
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