The House of Representatives will do all it can to help President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wage war against the smuggling and hoarding of rice and other agricultural products, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Tuesday. In a statement, Romualdez said the House shares the President's anger and frustration and will redouble its efforts to stop the smuggling and hoarding of rice, sugar, onions, garlic, and vegetables, which harm farmers' competitiveness and disrupt the agricultural value chain. 'Kami sa Kongreso ay tutulong sa Pangulo para mapigilan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin. Lahat ng kaya naming gawin ay ibubuhos namin sa misyong ito (We in Congress will help the President in preventing price increases of basic commodities. We will exert all efforts in this mission)," he said. He vowed that the House, as part of its oversight function, would also continue to monitor consumer prices, especially of staples, to protect the Filipino people from price manipulation, unreasonable price increases, and other practices in restraint of trade that hamper competition. Early this year, the Committee on Agriculture conducted an inquiry into the high prices of onions, which had jumped to as much as PHP600 a kilo. The committee uncovered evidence pointing to the existence of a cartel behind the surge in prices in 2022 and this year. 'We shall safeguard the interests of our farmers and our people in general, ensure equitable market conditions, and foster sustainable farming methods to guarantee our nation's food security. We will not shirk from our duty to help our people,' Romualdez said. He also called on all concerned government agencies and banks to assist farmers in obtaining technology, equipment, inputs and funding to improve their harvest and boost the supply of agricultural products. 'Needless to say, if there is sufficient supply, it would not be profitable for traders to resort to hoarding and similar anti-competitive activities,' he said. Collusion Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Remulla said in an interview Tuesday that the government would review the documents of regulatory bodies in charge of issuing permits so they could run after suspected smugglers and even involved state officials. Among the agencies that will be asked to yield records of permits issued are the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Plant Industry and other offices under the Department of Agriculture. The transactions involved run 'in the billions,' Remulla said, adding that reports indicate that smuggling operations have been in place since 2008. ''Yan ang pinagtitibay namin ngayon, 'yung mga information na-i-file. Pinagtitibay namin kasi (That is what we are beefing up, the information filed because) we are preparing to launch this campaign. We will still be validating a few more facts and we will be calling on government agencies involved in the regulatory process to give us the necessary documents so that our database will be complete when go after them,' he said. 'Kaya nga kailangan namin kunin 'yung mga (That is why we need the) regulatory permits to be able to validate the information that they are getting, the information that they have gotten so far. So, we will be asking them to come over in the next few weeks to give us several documents that will help us validate the information that we have.' Remulla said the investigation is tentatively set to include government officials who may have facilitated the smuggling of onion and garlic for more than a decade. 'We are suspecting some (government officials) Yes. Meron tayong tinitingnan na mga taong na maaaring titigan pa kasi mukhang sila ay merong kinalaman sa mga pangyayari (We are looking at those who may have a hand [in smuggling]),' he added. Remulla said plotting the regulatory process would map out how the smuggling is being done. During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Marcos vented his anger at smugglers, hoarders and price manipulators of agricultural products. 'Hinahabol at ihahabla natin sila. Sadyang hindi maganda ang kanilang gawain at hindi rin ito tugma sa ating magandang layunin (We are pursuing them, and we will charge them. Their activities are truly nefarious and does not align with our noble objectives),' he said. 'Pandaraya ang kanilang ginagawa. Napapahamak, hindi lamang ang mga magsasaka, kundi tayo rin na mamimimili. Kaya hindi natin papayagan ang ganitong kalakaran…Bilang na ang mga araw ng mga smuggler at hoarder na yan (They are committing fraud. Not only do the farmers suffer, but also us consumers. That is why we will not permit such practice. The days of these smugglers and hoarders are numbered),' Marcos said.
Source: Philippines News Agency