By Stephanie Sevillano | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Wednesday (March 31) warned that Department of Agriculture (DA) personnel would be slapped with suspension or administrative charges if they are found to be acting as “cohorts” of technical smugglers in the country.
In the Laging Handa public briefing, Dar said smugglers of agricultural products usually get away with their crime by passing through legal channels, using technical smuggling schemes like misdeclaration, undervaluation, or misclassification.
These smuggled goods enter the market with the help of “big-time” personalities with some help from their cohorts within the DA, Dar said.
“Irerekomenda po nating, base dun sa existing laws, kung ano ‘yung karampatang mga repercussions of their illegal acts, at the end of the day, kung suspension muna, i-suspend upon the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture,” Dar said.
The DA earlier warned that “high-profile” individuals may face administrative charges as Dar urged possible informants to help the government hasten its investigation.
“Continuous din ‘yung pagkakalap natin ng impormasyon at imbestigasyon kasi we would like to do due diligence properly, at sana ‘yung mga may interaksiyon, o mayroong kuntsabahan diyan, ay sabihin sa’min lahat itong impormasyon para mas mabuo at malaman natin kung sino po mga involved na opisyales,” he said.
The DA also pointed out the need to further digitize their import and customs operations, in collaboration with the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“Mas maigi kung we will see to it that our quarantine officers manning this holding ports ay mabigyan sila ng iPad, para mapicturan lahat, ma-input dun sa database po natin. This will help us reduce yung elbow room ng mga quarantine officers kung sila po ay kasabwat dito po sa misvaluation,” Dar added.
Meanwhile, Dar said affected farmers and cooperatives could save on transportation costs by selling their agricultural products through DA’s Kadiwa rolling stores scattered throughout the country.
In a Senate investigation on Monday (March 28), several agricultural groups disclosed how dreadful the effects of smuggling schemes are to farmers, with a 20% to 40% decline in the daily production of carrots alone, reaching P2.5 million in losses per day. (PNA)-ngs
