Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III today, April 25, said a vote for the Lacson-Sotto tandem in the May 9 elections would be a vote equivalent to the protection of the agriculture industry and its sectoral players and the prosecution of vegetable smugglers and their backers.
Sotto said that if he and presidential candidate Senator Panfilo M. Lacson win in the coming elections, they would ensure that agricultural criminals would be charged within a year of their administration, and convicted and sent to jail before their six-year term ends.
“Nanawagan po ako sa ating mga magsasaka, mangingisda, at pati sa ating poultry at hog raisers na tulungan kami ni Senator Lacson na mailuklok bilang pangulo at pangalawang pangulo ng ating bansa nang tuluyan na natin maipahinto at mapakulong ang mga sindikato sa likod ng agricultural smuggling dito sa ating bansa (I ask the farmers, fisherfolk and even poultry and hog raisers that they help me and Senator Lacson win in the coming elections. We assure that the syndicates behind the agricultural smuggling would be stopped and jailed),” Sotto said.
Sotto is running for Vice President in the upcoming polls.
“Nakakalungkot na sa loob ng anim na taon ng administration ito ay bokya ang naging conviction rate ng ating pamahalaan sa kabila ng pagkakahuli ng napakaraming suspected smugglers (It is sad that not one has been jailed by the current administration for the past six years despite the arrest of many suspected smugglers)
Imbes na sila ay mapakulong, namayagpag pa ang mga masasamang loob na ito at naging lantaran pa ang kanilang iligal na pag-aangkat ng mga agricultural products (Instead of being put behind bars, these evil persons openly operate by openly bringing vegetables into the country). Hindi mangyayari ito sa ilalim ng Lacson-Sotto administration (This will not occur under a Lacson-Sotto administration). Babaguhin namin ang bulok na sistemang ito ng pamahalaan (We will improve the system of this administration), the Senate chief said.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has said that 103 cases related to agricultural smuggling have been filed from 2016 to March 2022.
The total value of the goods involved in these cases add up to P1.35 billion, including duties and taxes.
The National Prosecution Service said it filed agricultural smuggling-related cases only against four people, one of which has been dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) said it has identified more than 20 possible "smugglers and players" who reportedly get protection from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“Bubuwagin po natin ang mga sindikatong ito (We will put these smuggling syndicates out of operation). Sisiguruhin po natin na makukulong ang mga dapat makulong (We will make sure that the guilty would be punished). Iaangat po nating muli ang angkat ng kabuhayan ng ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda (We will improve the livelihood of farmers and fisherfolk). Tututukan natin ang agriculture industry nang sa gayon ay manatiling maayos ang suplay ng ating bigas at fishery, meat and chicken products (We will make sure that the supply of rice, fish, meat and chicken products is not interrupted). Sa pamahalaang Lacson-Sotto, aangat ang buhay ng mga Pinoy (The lives of Filipinos under a Lacson-Sotto administration will be improved),” Sotto said.