By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Illegal smuggling of agricultural products poses various threats to the country’s biosecurity and agricultural landscape, endangering the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk as well as public health and food security.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. laments the alarming rise of this malpractice, which he declared as a national security threat that requires a proactive approach from the Department of Agriculture (D.A.) and concerned law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
On July 1, officials from the D.A., Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intercepted six shipping containers with cargo misdeclared as egg noodles, dumplings, and spring rolls; yielding an assortment of smuggled red onions, yellow onions, and frozen mackerel worth over P34.2 million at the Port of Manila.
Meanwhile, on July 8, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage (AAES) Council unearthed 26,526 sacks of smuggled rice worth P38 million in its enforcement operation at a warehouse in Talisay City, Cebu.
Also on July 8, P100 million worth of smuggled frozen mackerel, fresh carrots, and yellow onions, misdeclared as chicken lollipops and chicken karaage, were apprehended by the D.A. and the BOC in an operation at the Subic Bay New Container Terminal.
These recent seizures highlight the scale of the problem, which prompted an earlier meeting of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. with newly appointed Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno, National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief PGen. Nicolas Torre III, and representatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to work on strategies for targeting smuggling syndicates.
“The President has directed the D.A. to throw the book at the consignees and all those involved in smuggling these agricultural products. By the end of the year, we hope to see many of those responsible handcuffed, facing charges,” said Secretary Tiu-Laurel.
Moreover, the Agriculture chief reiterated the disruption brought about by agricultural commodity smuggling to legitimate businesses and the country’s plant and livestock industries, warning that customs brokers would also face legal consequences as part of efforts to enforce the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law, the Food Safety Act, and the Customs Code.
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