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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gov't should prioritize 'notorious' smugglers, hoarders once agri economic sabotage becomes a law—JV Ejercito

Gov't should prioritize 'notorious' smugglers, hoarders once agri economic sabotage becomes a law—JV Ejercito

Published Sep 7, 2023 10:17 am

 

Law enforcement authorities should prioritize all well-known personalities linked to agricultural smuggling once the measure recommending hoarding, profiteering, and cartel as economic sabotage is signed into law.

 

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito pointed this out on Thursday, September 7 pointing out that the same names that were repeatedly raised during congressional investigations should be made to face the law and answer allegations about their involvement in hoarding or smuggling of agricultural goods. 

 

“Hindi na nga kailangan ng intel funds eh, kasi kilala naman na nila kung sino ‘yung traders, kilala naman nila yung mga importers, kilala din ‘yung mga nag ho hoard (They don’t need intelligence funds for this, because they know who the traders are, they know who are the importers, they know who are hoarders),” Ejercito said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum at the Senate.

 

“Palagay ko kilala rin nila kasi sila-sila kasabwat (I think they know them well because they all are involved),” he pointed out. 

 

Ejercito said he hopes that with the creation of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council—which includes the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)—these “notorious” smugglers, hoarders, cartel and profiteers” will be prioritized in the filing of criminal cases. 

 

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, chaired by Sen. Cynthia Villar, and three other committees, have released Committee Report 118 on Senate Bill No. 2432, which seeks to define and proposes stiff penalties for agriculture economic sabotage. 

 

The bill primarily added agricultural hoarding, profiteering and cartel as punishable acts under the proposed law; retained the one million peso threshold of all agricultural products defined in the law, including rice (from P10-million to P1-million); seeks a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine equal to three times the value of the agricultural and fishery product subject to the crime of economic sabotage.

 

The measure also mandates the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other trade regulatory agencies to fully implement the National Single Window Program, seeks the creation of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council, chaired by the President or his designated permanent representative; seeks the creation of Special Team of Prosecutors for the expeditious prosecution of criminal cases under this Act; and also, the creation of Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Enforcement Group.

 

 

 

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jv ejercito economic sabotage agricultural smuggling hoarders
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