Not mincing his words, Speaker Martin Romualdez told members of the alleged onion cartel--especially those who hold government positions--that they won't be spared by the House of Representatives. Romualdez gave this warning ahead of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food's resumption of its motu proprio investigation on the agricultural hoarding-slash-price manipulation issue. “The committee will not spare anyone who helped these unscrupulous individuals, even those from the government. You are equally guilty of causing the suffering of the Filipino people,” stressed the Leyte 1st district representative. The committee will resume its inquiry on Tuesday, March 21. The Quezon 1st district Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga-led panel will then come up with recommendations on the 22nd, or the final day of sessions before the lengthy summer recess. HAVE YOU READ THIS?: [https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/11/quimbo-cracks-code-on-how-onion-cartel-works](https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/11/quimbo-cracks-code-on-how-onion-cartel-works)

Earlier, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo theorized that the onion cartel was industry-wide and that it is based on the "synchronized withholding of stocks and at the same time manipulation of the price". She noted that the facilitation of onion importations, which hurt local farmers, was key to this scheme. Romualdez's warning came even as the committee had already proven that it can get tough on "uncooperative" resource persons invited to its heaings; last March 7, it cited in contempt and ordered the detention of two officials of a cold storage facility and their lawyer for failing to immediately submit documents that the solons were seeking. "I cannot stress enough for these resource persons the importance of cooperating with the committee: lie to lawmakers and you will all find yourselves in jail,” he said. Romualdez said he expects the cooperation of Argo President and General Manager Efren Zoleta Jr., Argo Operations Manager John Patrick Sevilla, and their legal counsel Jan Ryan Cruz in identifying the hoarders. “Let your detention by the committee be a lesson: if you will not tell us the truth, we will send you to jail,” he said. He noted that it was only after being cited in contempt and spending some time in detention at the House of Representatives that the Argo officials eventually agreed to help in the committee’s probe on onion hoarding. The House leader ordered the investigation last month amid the absurdly high prices of onions. “We need to lower the prices of onions and decimate the cartel the soonest possible time. And I guarantee the imprisonment of those exploitative and abusive individuals and business owners behind the cartel," he said. "Our constituents need an immediate reprieve from the high prices of agricultural goods,” added the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president.