5 DA execs, 6 BOC involved in multi-billion veggie smuggling
>> Sunday, June 12, 2022
MANILA -- Senate
President Vicente C. Sotto bared there are five personalities from the Dept. of
Agriculture (DA) and six personalities from the Bureau of Customs (BOC)
involved large scale multi-billion-peso smuggling of agricultural products.
Such smuggling largely affect6ed the industry particularly Benguet and Cordillera as buyers preferred smuggled vegetables and fruits as these were cheaper.
In Senate plenary session May 31, Sotto said he would file a report of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the large-scale smuggling of agricultural products where intelligence sources indicate there are 22 personalities involved.
Sotto told his colleagues that he would identify these personalities in his committee report.
He said Congress has given a budget for first border checks to check smuggling but this is not being implemented.
Sotto stressed these when he interpellated Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, who is seeking Senate ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement where there are six Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and five Asean trading partners namely Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said he described the Philippines is an ‘’ant’’ compared to developed countries who are RCEP members that are ‘’elephants.’’
Pimentel said he is trying his best to answer the questions of his colleagues on the pluses and minuses pf RCEP.
Sen. Francis Panglinan said he has misgivings about the RCEP which is good for businesses and services but doubted its benefits on the agriculture sector.
The agriculture sector would suffer unless government interventions are undertaken and put in place prior to the Philippine entry into the agreement, he added.
Pimentel said Philippine farmers are not sacrificed but are protected under the RCEP. ‘’They should be helped,’’ he added.
He stressed that RCEP is forcing the BOC to modernize because the agreement states that all parties should adapt information technology to facilitate trade.
The agreement, according to Pimentel, cracks the BOC to shape up.
Pimentel said the RCEP states that perishable goods must be released within 48 hours and six hours for perishable goods.
He cited one study that, with the Philippine membership in the RCEP, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2031 would grow by 1.93 percent while another study showed grow by 2.02 percent.
Pimentel cited the RCEP Agreement has four C’s which are: Cheaper cost, convenience, competitiveness and complementation.
He emphasized that Philippine negotiators took eight to 11 years to negotiate RCEP.
‘ ’We made sure the (Philippine) agriculture sector exploited,’’ he added.
Such smuggling largely affect6ed the industry particularly Benguet and Cordillera as buyers preferred smuggled vegetables and fruits as these were cheaper.
In Senate plenary session May 31, Sotto said he would file a report of the Senate Committee of the Whole on the large-scale smuggling of agricultural products where intelligence sources indicate there are 22 personalities involved.
Sotto told his colleagues that he would identify these personalities in his committee report.
He said Congress has given a budget for first border checks to check smuggling but this is not being implemented.
Sotto stressed these when he interpellated Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, who is seeking Senate ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement where there are six Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and five Asean trading partners namely Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said he described the Philippines is an ‘’ant’’ compared to developed countries who are RCEP members that are ‘’elephants.’’
Pimentel said he is trying his best to answer the questions of his colleagues on the pluses and minuses pf RCEP.
Sen. Francis Panglinan said he has misgivings about the RCEP which is good for businesses and services but doubted its benefits on the agriculture sector.
The agriculture sector would suffer unless government interventions are undertaken and put in place prior to the Philippine entry into the agreement, he added.
Pimentel said Philippine farmers are not sacrificed but are protected under the RCEP. ‘’They should be helped,’’ he added.
He stressed that RCEP is forcing the BOC to modernize because the agreement states that all parties should adapt information technology to facilitate trade.
The agreement, according to Pimentel, cracks the BOC to shape up.
Pimentel said the RCEP states that perishable goods must be released within 48 hours and six hours for perishable goods.
He cited one study that, with the Philippine membership in the RCEP, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2031 would grow by 1.93 percent while another study showed grow by 2.02 percent.
Pimentel cited the RCEP Agreement has four C’s which are: Cheaper cost, convenience, competitiveness and complementation.
He emphasized that Philippine negotiators took eight to 11 years to negotiate RCEP.
‘ ’We made sure the (Philippine) agriculture sector exploited,’’ he added.
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