(Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Calling the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) "useless", ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo is proposing to give the agency a budget of just P1 for the year 2024.

"Napaka-useless nitong BPI na ito, ‘wag na bigyan ng budget ito (This BPI is so useless, let's not give them any budget). You guys are not doing your job," a visibly irate Tulfo said Tuesday, Sept. 5 during the resumption of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food's probe on agricultural smuggling.

“Might as well we just give you na P1 peso na budget. Aabangan ko pag sumalang

kayo sa plenary sa inyong budget (I will wait for your budget to reach the plenary),” the House deputy majority leader said.

The House of Representatives, through the Committee on Appropriations, is currently scrutinizing the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024. The BPI is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the budget of which is due for plenary approval.

What earned Tulfo's goat was BPI's failure to conduct price monitoring on onions and other agricultural products--something that Speaker Martin Romualdez, the leader of the 311-member House of Representatives--had even carried out

"May monitoring pero sasabihin niyo may guidelines at wala kayong magawa e di useless. Gawin na lang namin ang trabaho niyo at wag na kayong bigyan ng budget (You have a monitoring function but you said the guidelines prevent you from doing anything. Since it's useless, we'll just do your job and waive your budget)," he said.

The House probe is an offshoot of the onion price surge during the fourth quarter of 2023. During that period, onion prices reached an absurd P700 per kilo.

William Mugot of BPI told the panel that their "hands were tied" by Office guidelines.

“We are bound to our guidelines. The present guidelines ay hindi talaga namin mako-compel yung mga traders sa mga warehouse to release their stocks (we really can't compel the traders to release their stocks from the warehouse). We are currently amending the regulations,” Mugot said.

Tulfo said: "Hindi po trabaho ng Kongreso na mag-ikot nang mag-ikot para gawin ang trabaho niyo (It's not the job of Congress to make rounds in supermarkets, that's your job)."

Tulfo also sought during the hearing the issuance of a subpoena against supermarket officials who failed to attend Tuesday's proceedings despite their invitation.

The committee, based on Tulfo’s recommendations, approved the issuance of subpoenas to the officials of Puregold, Robinsons Mall, Gaisano Mall at Power Plant Mall.

“Mukang hindi po tayo sineseryoso ng mga ito at hindi po sila natatakot sa atin (Looks like they are not taking us seriously and do not fear us). We have to send them subpoena,” said the ACT-CIS solon.