President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he was determined to go after smugglers and hoarders of agricultural goods, stressing that Filipinos are dying of starvation because manipulative schemes in the market continue to thrivel.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
"Kaya't hindi natin basta pabayaan ito dahil may ginugutom na Pilipino, may namamatay from starvation and poverty ang Pilipino dahil sa kanilang ginagawa (We will not let this go as they are causing hunger to Filipinos, people are dying due to starvation and poverty because of their acts)," Marcos said in an interview on the sidelines of Livestock Philippines 2023 on Wednesday, July 5.
"Hindi maaaring ituloy nila ang kanilang ginagawa. Tama na 'yan at titigilin natin yung kanilang masasayang ginagawa (They cannot go on with what they're doing. That's enough and their happy days are numbered)," Marcos stressed.
The President pointed out that the smuggling and hoarding of agricultural goods in order to manipulate the prices "amounts to economic sabotage", prompting him to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an investigation on syndicates behind the hoarding and smuggling of onions.
Marcos did not impose a deadline on the DOJ and NBI inquiry, but nevertheless said he wanted the agencies to finish it soon.
According to the President, there is a clear case of onion hoarding as controlled by syndicates, noting he also wanted a wide-ranging investigation conducted to include other commodities.
“[A]ng utos ko sa DOJ at saka sa NBI, sa kanila ay kailangan malaman ninyo na hindi lamang sa sibuyas, kung hindi pa yung mga sindikato, marami talagang sindikato, na nag-o-operate pa para habulin na natin, matigil yung kanilang ginagawa (My order to DOJ and NBI is to look not only into the syndicates behind onion smuggling and horading because there are more syndicates out there. Let's go after them and put an end to their illegal acts)," Marcos said.
The DOJ said it would collaborate with other government agencies, including the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and other agencies in conducting the investigation.
The department’s investigation encompasses violations of Republic Act No. 10845, also known as the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, which specifically targets the illegal importation of agricultural products, including onions.