Senator Cynthia Villar hailed the signing into law of a measure that imposes severe sanctions against smugglers, profiteers, hoarders, and cartels of agricultural and fishery products.

President Marcos assured local farmers and fisherfolk of the government's stronger resolve in protecting and uplifting their lives through the newly signed Republic Act (RA) No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act which aims to dismantle illegal activities that disrupt food supply and inflate prices.

In his speech during the ceremonial signing in Malacañan, the President said that everyone involved in the smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and other cartel activities involving agricultural products will be held liable.

Villar said that the bill defines the crime of agricultural economic sabotage as any act or activity that disrupts the economy by creating an artificial shortage, promoting excessive importation, manipulating prices and supply, evading payment or underpaying tariffs and customs duties, threatening local production and food security, gaining excessive or exorbitant profits by exploiting situations, creating scarcity, and entering into agreements that defeat fair competition to the prejudice of the public.

Villar, the chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform and sponsor of the measure in the Senate, said severe penalties are needed to deter smuggling and abusive market practices that threaten the well-being of agricultural producers and the welfare of the consumers, and the economy as a whole.

Under the law, the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine thrice the value of the agricultural and fishery products subject to the crime shall be imposed on any person who commits agricultural smuggling, hoarding, agricultural profiteering, and those engaging in the cartel.

Further, RA 12022 creates the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Enforcement Group, as well as the constitution of a special team of prosecutors all over the country, which shall evaluate evidence, act on criminal complaints, initiate and conduct a preliminary investigation, and timely file and prosecute the appropriate criminal charges against the person/s who committed prohibited acts under this act.

“With these in place, we will have a watchdog in the agricultural sector to ensure that whoever manipulates the price of agricultural commodities to the detriment of the small farmers and consumers, will be brought to justice accordingly,” Villar added.