Congress should move to pass laws that would punish government officials who are involved in the facilitation of smuggling of agricultural products. Similar to the country’s anti-trafficking laws, Senator Risa Hontiveros said it is high-time that government officials who facilitate, conspire...
Senators sought stricter sanctions, including the re-imposition of the death death penalty, against persons who have a hand in the multi-billion-peso smuggling operations at the country’s air and sea ports. Their proposed iron-fist penalties followed a three-hour public hearing by the Senate...
Despite President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to import an additional 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar, the price of this commodity is unlikely to drop to its previous low level unless more sugar importers are allowed to penetrate the market. Sen. Risa Hontiveros pointed this...
Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a bill seeking to prosecute government officials and employees who conspire with agricultural smugglers be prosecuted and penalized. In filing Senate Bill No. 2205, Hontiveros wants certain provision of Republic Act No. 10845, also known as the Anti-Agricultural...
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is now seeking passage of a bill that would expand the services of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) and encourage private sector participation in agricultural insurance. Go, in filing Senate Bill No. 2117, said it is necessary to provide better...
Officials of the Philippines and the United States have discussed at a high level new agricultural cooperation that will ensure food security. Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary Alexis Taylor met in Washington on...
Senator Cynthia A. Villar is pushing for the creation of special courts to try exclusively smuggling cases worth billions of pesos that has prejudiced farmers and the economy. Villar said regional trial courts (RTCs) have not been effective. In today’s hybrid public hearing of the ...
The Philippines would need P2 trillion to irrigate some 1.2 million hectares of potentially irrigable areas in the country, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Acting Administrator Eduardo Guillen said on Tuesday, April 18. (Photo courtesy of Bloomberg/Getty Images) During a media briefing...
The beauty of art is that it can survive beyond its maker. Whether it be paintings, songs, architecture, or stories, art is made to be a legacy left in the world. Bonsai can be considered an art form rooted in agriculture. It’s the art of growing miniature trees in containers or pots, and training...
Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman has made a pitch for the passage of her pending bill, which she said would be of great boon to agricultural workers in the country. Speaking in a consultative assembly with the different sectors in Cebu, Roman highlighted the results of a Philippine...
FROM THE MARGINS The government is ramping up measures to curb inflation due to the rise in food prices resulting from shortfalls in agricultural supply. A high-level Inter-Agency Committee is being set up to monitor agricultural production, food prices, supply, and importation. This, hopefully,...
Three people--including two officials of a cold storage facility--were cited in contempt Tuesday, March 7 by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food during the panel's ongoing inquiry on the agricultural hoarding issue. SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (Screenshot from Zoom) This, after...
