House Speaker Martin Romualdez

House Speaker Martin Romualdez has issued yet another stern warning against the unscrupulous individuals who had a hand the onion price surge late last year. This, after Romualdez met with key lawmakers and officials of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) late Monday afternoon, May 22, to finalize their action plan and reforms meant to smash the cartel responsible for manipulating the supply and price of local onions. Romualdez said that apart from the cartel and their cohorts, all other profiteers—including local traders and other players in the onion industry—who will continue to take advantage of hapless consumers will face prosecution. “Those who are part of the solution we will help; those who are part of the problem, we will not tolerate. We will go after them and make the proper recommendation for prosecution,” said Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative. It was the House leader who called for a congressional probe when onion prices reached over P700 a kilo--even more costly than meat. The BPI officials were led by Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban. The BPI is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Among those present in the meeting at the Speaker’s office were Quezon 1st district Rep. Mark Enverga, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food that spearheaded the probe on the onion issue; and Marikina 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo. During the final committee hearing on the issue last week, Quimbo unmasked key cartel personalities and allied firms via an "onion cartel matrix" that she painstakingly pieced together using inputs from various resource persons during the four-month inquiry. House Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co as well as Rizal 1st district Rep. Michael John Duavit, also took part in the meeting with Romualdez.