Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III now has in his possession the names of the four ‘’big time’’ personalities linked to smuggling at seaports.

Sotto said the names of the four persons were submitted to him by Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Federico Laciste Jr.

Not one of the four, however, is a politician or a government official linked to smuggling operations, mostly at Manila seaports, it was learned.

The Senate, constituted as a committee of the whole, conducted last month an investigation into the unabated smuggling of agricultural produce.

It was during that probe where Laciste disclosed that there were big names that called him up when there was seizure of smuggled goods in 2021.

When asked by senators, Laciste said those who called him up had held positions but did not entertained them because government eventually filed appropriate charges against the arrested smugglers.

When the Senate committee of the whole resumes its probe on April 12, senators may decide to disclose or not the names of the four as supplied by Laciste.

During the hearing, Baguio vegetable farmers complained that vegetables, particularly carrots, are brought into the country despite denials by the DA that it has not given import permits.

A spokesperson of an association of Benguet farmers pointed out that smuggled carrots still look fresh after a few weeks compared to Philippine carrots that last for two to three days.

This led Sotto to raise the alarm that formaldehyde could have been sprayed on smuggled carrots.

Formaldehyde, or formalin, is an aqueous solution as a preservative and disinfectant.

Sotto said formaldehyde is a health hazard.