A report from the Senate Committee of the Whole released on Monday, June 27, revealed the names of individuals and officials allegedly involved in the smuggling of agricultural products in the country.
Among those in the list were Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero, Customs Deputy Commissioners Raniel Ramiro and Vener Baquiran, and Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan.
Also named were Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Dir. Eduardo Gongona, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Dir. George Culaste and BPI-3 Dir. Laarni Roxas, as well as Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco, port employees, and several suspected smugglers.
Guerrero, in a statement, denied the accusations, saying that “law enforcement agencies such as the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police denied the release or submission of any intelligence report from their respective agencies allegedly implicating any BOC official in any smuggling activity.”
Cayanan also said no importers could say that he facilitated or supported them.
“Tanungin niyo po ngayon kung mayroon… Sino po ang puwede at may (kakakayan) na gumawa nito? ‘Di ba po yung mga nandoon sa port?” he said.
Gongona also responded and said that he is “an advocate of more local fish production” and that the BFAR only issues clearance and not permits on importation.
“We are not coddlers of smugglers. BFAR issues SPSIC [sanitary photo-sanitary import clearance]. Clearance not permit – clearance that an item passes the standard of safety, health, and sanitation,” he said.
BPI’s Culaste and Roxas also denied their “involvement” in the issue, saying that “facts will prove it in the proper forum.”
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the three officials named must be allowed to “face their accusers, present their respective evidence to disprove the allegations, and defend themselves in the proper courts.”
Meanwhile, several senators came to the defense of Tiangco.
Senator Joel Villanueva said only four cases of smuggling found to have probable cause have been filed in court from 2016 to 2021, two of which were filed by the Navotas local government.
For Senator Nancy Binay, “intel reports should provide clarity and guidance for senators.”
“We have seen NICA reports culled from fake sources and social media posts being submitted to [the] Senate. Oftentimes, laziness and incompetence are the reasons why these reports backfire — NICA somehow fails to fact check and, most often, gets the facts wrong,” she said.
According to the Senate committee report, the entry of smuggled agricultural products is due to the failure of implementing full digitalization in the inspection process of shipment.
The absence of the first border facility or 100% inspection of agri-products also contributed to the problem. — Report from Cleizl Pardilla/AG-bny
