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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Rubio applauds arrest of notorious onion smuggler

Rubio applauds arrest of notorious onion smuggler

Published Nov 17, 2023 05:57 am

At A Glance

  • An individual who was caught smuggling 30 containers of onions was arrested by the authorities.<br>The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said that the successful arrest is a huge step toward the Philippine government's campaign against agricultural smuggling.<br>Senate Bill No. 2432 or the proposed Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act was certified as urgent by the Marcos administration.<br>The bill aims to end acts of smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and cartel of agricultural and fishery products.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio hailed the arrest of an individual who was caught smuggling 30 containers of onions.

In a statement, Rubio said on Friday, Nov. 17, that the successful arrest is a huge step toward the government’s campaign against agricultural smuggling.

“This shows the commitment of the Marcos administration to go after these big-time agricultural smugglers. Bringing in these goods to the country illegally is a significant threat to our economy, to the livelihoods of small farmers, and to the competitiveness of legitimate businesses,” he said.

“I hope that this latest operation will serve as a strong deterrent for other smugglers not to even attempt circumventing our laws and making a mockery of them,” Rubio added.

The Bureau of Customs, however, has opted to withhold the identity of the arrested individual for privacy reasons pending court proceedings.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy emphasized the coordination among key government agencies, as well as the prompt actions of the Customs leading to the arrest.

“This showcased our team’s unwavering commitment to bringing these perpetrators to justice and upholding the integrity of legitimate trade and importation. In many cases, smuggling agricultural, poultry, and food products pose a threat to the health and safety of consumers,” he said.

“For that alone, we want to make sure here in the BOC that we cover all bases and we see the finality of these cases,” the official added.

A bill that aims to end acts of smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and cartel of agricultural and fishery products was certified as urgent by the Marcos administration.

Senate Bill No. 2432 or the proposed Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act will penalize crimes with life imprisonment and a fine thrice the value of the agricultural and fishery products involved.

Related Tags

Bureau of Customs ONION SMUGGLING Bienvenido Rubio
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