The Department of Agriculture (DA) will blacklist four companies who are allegedly engaged in smuggling activities within the next few months.
This was bared by DA Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr. during a meeting with the media in Makati City on Wednesday night, June 26.
“You will see in the next few months, marami akong iba-blacklist na kumpanya. Iyong mga smugglers, kahit kaibigan ko, iba-blacklist ko. Because alam ko iyong ginagawa nila and we are just getting proof (You will see in the next few months, I will blacklist many companies. The smugglers, even if they are my friends, I will blacklist them. Because I know what they are doing, and we are just gathering proof),” he said.
When asked how many companies the agriculture department will blacklist, he said, “Mga apat. Isang rice, dalawang fisheries, iyong isa sa asukal' (Around four. One for rice, two for fisheries, and one for sugar).”
Laurel stated that the DA will blacklist them because their actions amount to economic sabotage.
“Ngayong nasa gobyerno ako, hirap na hirap na nga akong ayusin ‘to, pababain ito. Iyong smugglers are destroying industry by undercutting everybody because of their illegal acts (Now that I'm in the government, I'm struggling to fix this and bring it down. The smugglers are destroying the industry by undercutting everyone with their illegal acts),” he went on.
On May 31, the DA and Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized at least P100 million worth of frozen meat and other agricultural commodities that weigh 98,000 kilograms from a storage facility in Kawit, Cavite.
During the joint operation, ten cold storage facilities were discovered hidden behind a false wall and blocked by a van.
Following the removal of the wall, the composite team discovered cold storage rooms stocked with a range of items, such as assorted meatballs, shabu-shabu ingredients, beef, pork, chicken wings, siomai, various fish, pork belly, boneless pork, beef, and Peking ducks.
An inspection carried out by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service revealed that certain frozen food products did not meet the standards for human consumption.