ACT OF ECONOMIC SABOTAGE

LINGAYEN—The farmers in the country stand to benefit greatly once the House bill declaring large-scale agricultural smuggling as economic sabotage becomes law.

This was the reaction of Engr. Rosendo So of the Samahan ng Industriyang Agrikultura (SINAG) and founding chair of Abono partylist to the latest development at the House of Representatives during a forum at the President Hotel.

The Senate already passed its bill introduced by Senators Cynthia Villar and JV Ejercito, last month and since the House agreed that the Senate bill would be adopted, there will no longer be a need for bicameral discussions and the bill will be ready to be forwarded to the to the Office of the President for the latter’s signature.

So said, the expected passage of the twin bills as a law will not only greatly help the farmers but will send a strong signal to smugglers and cohorts inside the Department of Agriculture and Customs Bureau since arrested suspects can be detained without bail during trial and can be meted life imprisonment.

“Right now they (smugglers) with their cohorts from inside the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Customs are scot-free, but with this law, they will also be penalized with minimum 12 to 17 years imprisonment,” So said.

“This will give more teeth to our existing laws against smuggling and this will protect our local farmers,” So said.

House Bill 6380 is jointly authored by Reps. Delphine Lee Gan, Conrado Estrella III, Romero Federico Quimbo, Mark Villar, Raneo Abu, Nicanor Briones, Raul del Mar, Mylene Garcia-Albano, Agapito Guanlao, Magtanggol Gunigundo, Joseller Guiao, Andres Salvacion and Estrellita Suansing.

The final bill provides that the crime of large-scale smuggling of sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, fish and cruciferous vegetables, in its raw state, or which have undergone the simple processes of preparation or preservation for the market valued at a minimum amount of P1-million, or rice, valued at a minimum of P10-million, is an act of economic sabotage, and is deemed committed through importing or bringing into the Philippines without the required import permit from the regulatory agencies; or using import permits of persons or entities without juridical personality, or using fake, fictitious or fraudulent import permits or shipping documents, names of persons or entities and addresses of consignee.

Acts punishable under this law also include: selling, lending, leasing, assigning, consenting or allowing the use of import permits of corporations, non government organizations, associations, cooperatives, or single proprietorships by others persons; misclassification, undervaluation or misdeclaration upon the filing of import entry and revenue declaration with the BOC in order to evade the payment of rightful taxes and duties to the government; organizing or using dummy corporations, NGOs, or groups for the purpose of acquiring import permits; transporting or storing the agricultural product regardless of quantity, and acting as broker of the violating importer.

In all cases, the smuggled agricultural products shall be confiscated and the property used in agricultural smuggling shall be forfeited in favor of the government. (Tita Roces)

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