At least 4 senators on Monday questioned the Bureau of Customs’ seizure of undeclared agricultural merchandise allegedly introduced in by Philippine Airlines crew members whereas big-time smugglers went unpunished.
At a Senate listening to, Senator JV Ejercito mentioned the alleged January 10 try by PAL crew members to usher in onions, lemons, and strawberries as “pasalubong” as a substitute of different items equivalent to perfumes and footwear was a “cause of alert” and an “eye-opener.”
“Ang nakakalungkot itong ating pinuntirya Philippine Airlines crew na tag-dalawang kilo, isang kilo. Pero ‘yung mga container na nakakalusot e parang may pampabulag na tayo, pampalabo ng mata. Ano ba ang nangyayari sa atin?” Ejercito mentioned.
(What’s disheartening is our give attention to the Philippine Airlines crew, who every had one to 2 kilos. But these containers that slip by way of, it is like we’re blind to it, the imaginative and prescient will get blurry. What’s occurring with us?)
“I think this is an eye opener na sabi ko nga sa halip na mansanas at ubas e sibuyas na ang pampasalubong ng ating mga airline crew para sa kanilang pamilya,” he added.
(I feel that is an eye fixed opener. Like I mentioned, as a substitute of apples and grapes, airline crew present their households with onions.)
Senator Raffy Tulo in the meantime requested the BOC why it didn’t arrest big-time smugglers who usher in merchandise in containers.
Tulfo mentioned the incident with the PAL crew was “unacceptable” because the alleged smugglers that Senator Cynthia Villar mentioned, as talked about in a column printed in an area newspaper, went unpunished.
He added that whereas the PAL crew have been shamlessly humiliated, big-time smugglers remained at massive.
“Siguro kainuman niyo pa gabi gabi, baka ka-coffee niyo. Siguro nandyan pa sa opisina niyo baka naka-dekwatro pa, nakataas pa siguro ang paa sa mesa habang kinakausap kayo tapos siguro may dalang sako sakong salapi,” he added.
(Maybe you might have nightly drinks with them, possibly you might have espresso with them. Maybe they’re in your workplaces with their legs crossed or have their ft up in your desk whereas chatting with you. Then possibly they’ve sacks of money with them.)
Senator Grace Poe additionally sympathized with the PAL crew members, saying issues had reached the purpose that they opted to herald onions from different international locations as a result of the value of the product is larger than the minimal wage within the Philippines.
Poe additionally questioned why no motion was being taken towards smugglers, whom she mentioned have been recognized since her early days as a senator.
“Hanggang ngayon ‘yan pa rin ang naririnig natin [na mga pangalan]. Ilang taon na kami ni Senator Cynthia sa Senado hindi pa rin mahuli huli ‘yan… Madam chair, sana po itong huling term natin ngayon sa Senado ay yung mga matatagal nang mga kumikilos na nagi-smuggle ng mga bagay na yan ay maikulong na sana kasi hindi pa rin po natuto at tama ang sinabi ni Senator Tulfo na baka mga kabarkada ng DA ‘yang mga yan,” Poe mentioned.
(We preserve listening to about this to at the present time. Senator Cynthia and I’ve been within the Senate for yr and so they nonetheless have not been caught. Madam chair, I hope that in our final time period within the Senate these long-time smugglers are lastly jailed. Senator Tulfo may be proper, that possibly they’re chummy with the DA.)
Further, Poe joined the decision of different senators for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to nominate a full-fledged Agriculture Secretary to deal with the issues within the sector.
“Panahon na rin siguro talaga na magkaroon ng DA secretary na aako sa kawalan ng aksyon sa agricultural crisis na ito. Asukal noong una, sibuyas naman ngayon. Ihi-hearing ata natin lahat ng kailangan sa kusina. Iba-ibang ingredients pero pare-parehong kwento sa price gouging, supply manipulation at smuggling. Wala tayong mahiwa pero iyak pa rin tayo nang iyak,” Poe mentioned.
(First it was suger, now it is onions. Are we going to have hearings on every part used within the kitchen? Different elements however the identical story of value gouging, provide manipulation and smuggling. We don’t have anything to slice however we preserve crying.)
At the latter a part of the listening to, Tulfo mentioned the officers of the BOC ought to resign for failing to get data on the agricultural smugglers within the nation.
“Kung sasabihin niyo, ‘Hindi po namin alam yan. Ngayon lang namin narinig,’ then you should resign especially kayo d’yan sa intelligence ng Customs,” Tulfo mentioned.
BOC Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla mentioned he would ask the Customs Intelligence Investigation Service (CCIS) to ship a report back to Tulfo’s workplace concerning agricultural smuggling within the nation.
But the senator mentioned he needed motion from the company, not a report.
“Meron po kaming 86 containers na nahuli recently. These are onions. Dinaan po sa port ng Mindanao Container Terminal, Subic, and Davao,” he mentioned.
Maronilla additionally disclosed that that they had lately seized smuggled agricultural merchandise, equivalent to rice, within the excessive seas.
Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla instructed issuing a subpoena on the alleged smugglers who have been named within the article that Villar had talked about throughout the listening to.
However, Villar mentioned the Senate Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform Committee would look into that suggestion as these people had been investigated within the earlier Congresses.
Villar mentioned she was bored with investigating alleged smuggling of agricultural merchandise as a result of the issue retains recurring.
“Kaya ako medyo tinatamad na ako mag-investigate. Imagine, ang tagal tagal na n’yan. It’s common knowledge. Magbabait sila pag nag-investigate ka, tapos uulit uli… e bakit hindi niyo pa ikulong para tapos na ang problema natin kasi kung wala kayong ikinukulong walang madadala, walang matatakot. mag-sample naman kayo,” Villar mentioned.
(That’s why I’m just a little worn out by investigations. It’s taken so lengthy. It’s widespread information. They’ll feign innocence throughout an investigation, after which they’re going to be again at it. Why do not you jail them, that can repair our drawback. If you do not convict anybody, nobody will probably be disuadded, nobody will probably be scared straight. Make an instance of somebody.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News
