House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)





If President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is angry at agricultural smugglers and hoarders, then so is the House of Representatives. Marcos made his displeasure against these unscrupulous people crystal clear during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday afternoon, July 24, saying their days are numbered. “We share the President’s anger and frustration with smuggling, hoarding and price manipulation. We will redouble our efforts to stop the smuggling and hoarding of rice, sugar, onions, garlic, and vegetables, which harms our farmers’ competitiveness and disrupts the agricultural value chain,” Romualdez said in a statement Tuesday, July 25. He said that these illegal activities result to the increase in the prices of basic goods, something that the House wants to prevent at all cost. “We shall safeguard the interests of our farmers and our people in general, ensure equitable market conditions, and foster sustainable farming methods to guarantee our nation’s food security,” said the Leyte 1st district congressman. Early this year, the House Committee on Agriculture, upon orders of the Speaker, conducted an inquiry into the high prices of onions, which had jumped to as much as P600 a kilo. The panel--after four months of hearings--uncovered evidence pointing to the existence of a cartel behind the surge in prices in 2022 and this year. At the very top of the cartel is alleged "Sibuyas Queen", businesswoman Lilia Cruz alias Leah Cruz. Summoned by the investigating committee, Cruz, who had been dragged in previous congressional inquiries, denied any wrongdoing. She claimed her participation was limited to helping farmers transport their produce. Marcos has been acting as the concurrent Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary since the beginning of his term on June 30, 2022. Romualdez, leader of the 312-strong House, noted that the local agriculture has started to grow under President Marcos. “Masigla at patuloy na umuunlad ang sektor ng agrikultura. Napababa natin ang presyo ng mga pagkain mula sa agrikultura at napapataas naman ang kita ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda,” he said. (The agriculture sector is booming. We've been able to reduce food prices from agriculture and we've been able to increase the profits of farmers and fisherfolks.) Magsasaka Party-list nominee Robert Nazal Jr. also hailed Marcos on the basis of his statements in the SONA regarding the agriculture sector. According to him, the call to go after agricultural smugglers and hoarders is "timely". "Nagpapasalamat tayo na binanggit ni Pangulong Marcos ang pagpapalakas sa sektor ng agrikultura sa pamamagitan ng pagsuporta sa lokal na produksyon. Ito ay ating susuportahan at itutulak sa darating na mga buwan at panahon," Nazal said. (We thank President Marcos for aiming to strengthen the agriculture sector by supporting local production. We will be supporting and pushing for this in the coming months.) "His speech is notable for the fact that it mentioned his administration's programs and plans related to agriculture such as Amending the Fisheries Code, Amendment to the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act, and the Amendment to the Cooperative Code," he added.