Marcos tells Customs, DA: Strike hard vs smugglers of agri goods

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Department of Agriculture (DA) to go after smugglers of agricultural goods and file appropriate cases against them under the new law penalizing their acts as economic sabotage.

Marcos delivered the statement Saturday during his inspection of P178.5 million worth of seized frozen mackerel at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in Tondo, Manila. The mackerel shipment arrived in 21 containers without the required clearance from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The President said the case to be filed against those behind the alleged smuggle of frozen mackerel will be the first-ever under Republic Act 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.

"Sinisira [nila] ang merkado dito sa Pilipinas, pinagkikitaan ang tao. Wala namang bumabalik sa gobyerno at 'yung dapat na ibayad sa gobyerno ay ibinubulsa lamang. Tapos hindi na nga natin makontrol kung paano nila ire-release dahil... iniipit muna nila bago pataasin ang presyo, bago nila bibitawan sa merkado," Marcos said.

(They are destroying the Philippine market and taking money from consumers. Yet nothing returns to the government and they just pocket whatever they should pay. Then we cannot control how they release the goods because... they hold on to them and wait for prices to rise before releasing them into the market.)

The President stressed, "Kaya't ito 'yung buong tinatawag na chain na kailangan nating buwagin. At ito'y, as I said, is the first case under the new law of the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act. So, I've spoken to our Bureau of Customs, and I've spoken to the Department of Agriculture and we have to keep going. Kailangang patibayin pa natin ito."

(That is why we have to break this chain. As I said, this is the first case under the new law of the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act. So, I've spoken to our Bureau of Customs, and I've spoken to the Department of Agriculture and we have to keep going. We have to strengthen this.)

Signed into law last September, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act seeks to thwart the entry of smuggled agricultural goods into the country.

Distribution to marginalized folk

The President also presided over the Saturday morning distribution of some 28,000 kilos of the seized mackerel in Barangay 649 in Baseco Port Area, Manila.

Marginalized barangays across the 17 local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region, as well as one LGU each in Central Luzon and Calabarzon, are set to receive the seized mackerel.

According to the Bureau of Customs, an estimated 150,000 families are expected to benefit from the donation, ensuring immediate support to communities in need.

Beneficiaries will also include individuals in city jails, public hospitals, and various care facilities.

"I hope this is the first of many operations such as this dahil this is very, very important. At, kailangan nating ma-control, kailangan nating ma-supervise ang ating food supply. Kapag ka tuloy-tuloy ang ginagawang ganito hindi natin magagawa 'yun. That's why enacted into law the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act," Marcos said.

(I hope this is the first of many operations such as this because this is very, very important. We have to control and supervise our food supply. We won't be able to do these if the smuggling continues. That's why we enacted into law the Anti-Agricultural [Economic] Sabotage Act.)

Safe for consumption

The mackerel was formally turned over by the BOC to the DA during the President's inspection at the MICP.

The BOC said the shipment arrived at the MICP on September 28 and 29, without the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) from the BFAR.

As a result, the Bureau of Customs said the goods were deemed abandoned and forfeited in favor of the government.

To ensure the safety and quality of the fish, the BOC and DA worked with the BFAR, which conducted laboratory tests that confirmed that the mackerel met all standards for human consumption.

The donation of the seized items was formalized through a Deed of Donation and Acceptance, signed by BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., with the support of Secretary of Finance Ralph Recto.

The DA and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), meanwhile, also signed a memorandum of agreement for the distribution of the donated seized frozen mackerel.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the BOC seized P5.87 billion in smuggled agricultural products from July 2022 to November 2024.

The bureau also filed 250 cases involving agricultural products from 2018 to 2024. The aggregate value of these items was placed at P8.59 billion, the PCO added.

Of the 250 cases, the BOC logged four convictions. — with a report from Ted Cordero/ VDV, GMA Integrated News