President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday mentioned there will likely be no deadline for the investigation into agricultural smuggling that he ordered.
Marcos informed reporters he would let the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to research the reported hoarding, smuggling, and value fixing of agricultural merchandise.
“Hindi ako mahilig magbigay ng deadline. Siyempre gusto ko matapos nila nang maaga pero kailangan tapos, hindi hilaw,” Marcos mentioned.
(I do not like giving deadlines. Of course, I need them to complete quickly however I do not need half-baked outcomes.)
“Let them do their investigation. Wala namang particular, ang pinag-usapan, ang naging pagbasehan ‘yung naging problema sa maliwanag na nagho-hoarding, na kinokontrol ‘yung suplay ng sibuyas,” Marcos added.
(Let them do their investigation. There’s no specific subject, the idea was the hoarding practices that management the provision of onions.)
The President expressed perception that there are lots of syndicates behind smuggling and hoarding of agricultural merchandise. He reiterated that these unlawful practices quantity to financial sabotage.
Marcos, who additionally chairs the Department of Agriculture (DA), on Tuesday ordered the DOJ and the NBI to research the smuggling of onions and different agricultural merchandise.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, Marikina Representative Stella Quimbo mentioned in a Memorandum to the President that there was a considerable proof pointing to the existence of an onion cartel that may very well be behind the surge in onion costs in 2022.
“I have just given instructions to the DOJ and the NBI to initiate an investigation into the hoarding, smuggling, [and] price fixing of agricultural commodities,” Marcos mentioned in a video message.
The DOJ on Tuesday introduced the creation of Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Task Force, which can embody the Bureau of Customs and the DA.
Among the members of the duty power will likely be The Office of the Prosecutor General, headed by Chief State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon, and the NBI, headed by Director Medardo De Lemos.
The DOJ additionally mentioned it is going to type a particular crew of prosecutors “primarily focused on protecting the entire agricultural sector, not only the onion industry.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged Malacañang to make sure monitoring of the implementation of the anti-agricultural smuggling order within the decrease ranks.
“I congratulate the [President] for his order to crack down on smuggling , [especially] of [agricultural] products. But the [Office of the President] and the entire Malacañang must monitor if the lower ranks are seriously implementing the President’s orders,” Pimentel mentioned.
The Senate had carried out a number of probes into the smuggling of agricultural merchandise within the nation, together with the controversial “sugar fiascos” prior to now 12 months. —KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
