3 large-scale agri smugglers already convicted, says Angara

Three individuals have already been convicted for large-scale agricultural smuggling, Senator Sonny Angara, citing the records of the Bureau of Customs, said Wednesday.

The lawmaker disclosed this when Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III inquired about the BOC's efforts in fighting the problem of smuggling in the country.

As of September 2022, Angara said, the BOC had already filed 207 criminal cases and 142 administrative cases against smuggling before the Department of Justice.

Senator Cynthia Villar then manifested that she and Senator JV Ejercito have authored a law which provides that large-scale agricultural smuggling is considered economic sabotage.

Under this law, Villar said, smuggling of rice worth P10 million and any agricultural product worth P1 million is already considered large-scale agricultural smuggling.

"We haven't heard of anybody that has been imprisoned with regards large-scale agricultural smuggling and its non bailable. Even if you are not convicted you can be imprisoned," Villar raised.

"We are so surprised. That is a very low definition of large-scale agricultural smuggling and yet we haven't heard of any that has been imprisoned because of that law," she added.

In response, Angara, who is defending the budget of the Department of Finance—the mother agency of the BOC—said there are three individuals who were already convicted for violating the law that Villar was referring to.

Villar then asked Angara to furnish them the names of the individuals who have been convicted of large-scale agricultural smuggling. — BM, GMA Integrated News