RICE SMUGGLING

ROSALES—The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) has lauded the filing of economic sabotage charges against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Nicanor Faeldon for alleged involvement in rice smuggling.

Rosendo So, SINAG chairman, said Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s complaint against Faeldon is a test case for Republic Act No. 10845, otherwise known as “An act declaring large-scale agricultural smuggling as economic sabotage” or “Anti-agricultural smuggling Act of 2016”.

Lacson’s complaint against Faeldon is the first case lodge since last year’s passage of a new law declaring agricultural smuggling as a form of economic sabotage.

“We welcome this development because since RA 10845 was passed into law more than a year ago, there have been several cases of illegal shipment of rice, onion, garlic and sugar, but the Bureau of Customs, which is supposed to take the lead in running after smugglers, has not filed a single economic sabotage case,” So said in a statement.

So is also the chairman of the Abono party-list that steered the passage of the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 in the House of Representatives.

He said the failure of the BOC to use the new law against agricultural smugglers is a “missed opportunity”.

“We think Customs was dilly-dallying because it was not really serious in pursuing these cases,” So said, even as he cited the failure of the BOC to pursue cases against unscrupulous importers responsible for the smuggling of 87 containers of onions early this year.

He said the 87 containers is worth at least P130-million, much more than the P1-million minimum amount for these smugglers to be charged with economic sabotage, also a non-bailable offense.

“This only proves that some unscrupulous officials and personnel not just in Customs but also in the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority (NFA) are in cahoots with big-time smugglers of agricultural products,” So said.

Lacson filed on Thursday a complaint for graft and economic sabotage against Faeldon and nine others, including NFA Administrator Jason Aquino, before the Ombudsman for allegedly “conspiring to smuggle” 40,000 bags of rice, in two tranches to Cebu Lite Trading Inc. without payment of Customs taxes and duties and without the required import permit.

Under RA 10845, the amount of smuggled agricultural products subject to economic sabotage is equal or more than P10 million for rice, and equal or more than P1 million for onion and other agricultural products such as sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, carrots, fish and cruciferous vegetables.

Violators and cohorts will face a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value of smuggled agricultural product and the aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided.

Meanwhile, data from SINAG showed about P200-billion worth of agricultural commodities were smuggled into the country in the last five years.

This translates to around P60-billion to P80-billion in lost revenues for the government since agricultural commodities are supposed to be protected and levied a tariff of 30 to 40 per cent, SINAG said.

The report also said smuggled rice during the period reached P94 billion in terms of market value, making the staple the biggest agricultural commodity being smuggled into the Philippines, followed by pork at P40-billion at sugar at P25-billion. (Eva Visperas)

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