MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Monday decried the government’s failure to convict and jail big-time agricultural smugglers, saying that despite the seizure of billions of pesos worth of contraband in recent years, cases either “die” in the justice system or remain pending with no results.
In his opening statement at a Senate agriculture and agrarian reform committee hearing, Pangilinan likened the system to a “rigged basketball game,” where smugglers conspire with public officials and regulators while farmers and fisherfolk suffer.
“Smuggling has become economic sabotage. It’s a non-bailable offense under Republic Act 10845, the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016. And yet, up to now, not a single big-time smuggler has been jailed,” said Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
The senator cited government records showing that between 2018 and 2024, more than 250 smuggling-related cases were filed. Only a handful led to convictions, while around five percent of 192 cases were dismissed for lack of evidence.
He noted that enforcement agencies have staged several high-profile operations that captured public attention but failed to bring anyone behind bars.
Among these were the raid in Kawit, Cavite in 2024 where the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Customs discovered tons of meat and fish inside cold storage facilities linked to a logistics company; the September 2024 seizure in Marilao, Bulacan by the National Bureau of Investigation of more than ₱200 million worth of chicken, seafood, onions, and garlic from China, much of it unfit for human consumption; and the complaint filed in Olongapo City against a firm after authorities found nearly 7,000 kilos of carrots and 85,000 kilos of frozen fish balls concealed in shipments.
He added that the Bureau of Internal Revenue reported the confiscation of P3.78 billion worth of agricultural contraband between January 2024 and July 2025. In July this year, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group intercepted P13.7 billion worth of smuggled onions, rice, and frozen products in northern Luzon. Despite these figures, Pangilinan said the absence of convictions only emboldens the cartels manipulating import permits and flooding markets with illicit goods.
“Billions are stolen from the people through smuggling. And yet, while farmers and fisherfolk suffer, smugglers and their protectors walk free. Cases turn into ghosts, dying in court, while the syndicates continue their operations,” he said, pressing justice and customs officials to explain why enforcement remains weak despite the passage of Republic Act 12022 in 2024, which further strengthened penalties for agricultural economic sabotage.
“Where are the convictions? Where are the big names behind this cartel? Until someone is jailed, the law is meaningless,” Pangilinan said.
