THE Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform on Monday moved closer to issuing subpoenas against individuals suspected of involvement in large-scale agricultural smuggling who failed to appear at a hearing that exposed glaring gaps in the Bureau of Customs’ monitoring system.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who presided over the session, said the subpoenas were necessary to compel the attendance of importers and consignees who have repeatedly ignored Senate summons.
The inquiry was conducted against the backdrop of the country’s continuing food crisis and the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law.
Testimony during the hearing revealed that smugglers routinely use dummy companies and “consignees-for-hire” to sneak contraband into the country. Customs officials admitted that importers often rent or lend their accreditation to cover suspicious shipments, in violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
One firm, EPCB, had 14 of its 20 containers flagged for irregularities, while another, Birches, had 19 of 25 shipments placed under alert. Senators said these schemes allow smuggling rings to skirt inspections and avoid detection.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo zeroed in on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) continued issuance of special importation permits — or Certificates of Necessity to Import (CNI) — despite an oversupply of fish and seafood in the country.
Tulfo cited General Santos City and Bohol province as examples of areas with abundant catch, where produce often spoils for lack of cold storage.
He warned that unchecked importation squeezes local fisherfolk out of the market.
“Even with an oversupply of seafood products, the Department of Agriculture continues to issue special import permits to importers,” Tulfo said. “This is unfair to our fisherfolk who are losing money because their products often rot, while imported fish — some reportedly from China — are being sold at rock-bottom prices.”
He directed the DA to conduct a market study before issuing CNIs to prevent further losses for local producers. He also urged closer coordination with the Bureau of Customs to ensure that permits are not exploited for smuggling, undervaluation, or misdeclaration.
DA Undersecretary Carlos Carag and newly appointed Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno assured Tulfo their agencies would strengthen coordination to guarantee that shipments match the contents of special import permits. FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA
