Rice import without NFA permit is clearly contraband

It boggles the mind that those entrusted with closely guarding our ports are not aware of which goods are prohibited from entering the country. When that much rice enters any of our ports, it should automatically raise signals for our officials to be cautious in having them enter the country. This case is extremely disturbing. There were no permits nor pertinent documents presented, yet these goods were allowed not only entry in our docks, but were also allowed to be unloaded without the necessary permits.

Is it too difficult for SBMA officials to know rice import procedures from the NFA? Is it not standard procedure for SBMA to coordinate with concerned government agencies whenever questionable goods enter our country? Four hundred twenty thousand sacks of rice are not exactly mere blimps in their radar.

Galing na mismo sa chairman ng SBMA na si administrator Roberto Garcia na ang destinasyon ng mga bigas na ito ay ang Pilipinas at wala nang iba pang bansa. Malinaw na may balak ibenta ito sa ating merkado. Kawawa naman ang mahihirap nating mga magsasaka. Kayod sila nang kayod at pagkatapos ay papatayin lang ng smuggling ang kanilang hanapbuhay. Binabagyo na nga tayo at nasisira ang ating mga pananim at sakahan, may smuggling pa. Doble pasakit ito sa ating mga kababayan.

Layon natin na tanggalan ng maskara ang mga smugglers na ito upang sila ay maparusahan. Kailangan nating ipakita sa taumbayan na tayo ay seryoso sa pagpuksa ng ganitong tiwali at mapansamantalang gawain. Ang smuggling ay isang krimen. At lahat ng kriminal ay dapat maparusahan, lalung-lalo na dahil ang kapalit nito ay kagutuman para sa marami nating mga mamamayan.

Food security is a matter of national security

We express our support for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's challenge to the Senate to crack down on food smuggling rings and address food security in the country.

Food security is a national security matter so I call on colleagues in government to get to the bottom of food smuggling rings to help ensure the sustainability of local agriculture.

We are ready to get to the bottom of this latest attempt at smuggling agricultural produce into the country. It is hoped that by getting to the bottom of this reprehensible act we will prevent its repeat. Flooding the market with smuggled rice deprives our rice farmers of their incomes and serves as a major disincentive for them to continue planting rice. It severely undermines our rice sufficiency program because it takes away from the farmers the opportunity to get fair market prices for their produce.

Smuggling is the surest way to drive our local farmers and fisherfolk out of business and kill our local agricultural industry. This is one major factor why we are unable to bring our farmers out of poverty, and the smuggling of agricultural products threatens our food security efforts.

Rampant smuggling must be stamped out if food security is to be achieved for close to 100 million Filipinos.

When we undertake this investigation on the incident of smuggling and other incidents of smuggling, we are actually addressing a national security matter. Smuggling threatens the existence of our agricultural industry, and without an agricultural industry, up to 60% of our labor force will lose their jobs, the prices of food will skyrocket, and we could be facing a serious food crisis in the coming years.

This is why the problem of smuggling is a national problem, and we—government and the private sector alike—must put an end to this once and for all.

BOC's seizure of hot rice will help increase farmers' incomes

We laud the Bureau of Customs' efforts in curbing illegal importation of rice, a commodity which has long been abused by certain sectors due to its impact in the political, economic, and social landscape.

For so long our farmers have been at the short end of this stick, rendering them impoverished and powerless. Imagine earning a meager 23,000 pesos per year? That means they are living on less than 2,000 pesos a month. That is not even enough to meet their basic needs. This concerted effort by the BOC to curb smuggling will definitely have an impact in the livelihood of our farmers.

In 2011, we convened Agriculture and Fisheries 2025 and gathered for the first time all the major stakeholders of the agriculture and fisheries sector, including the farmers and fishermen. We also initiated Sagip Saka, an advocacy to provide to farmers and fisherfolk much-needed interventions and access to markets, investments, and technology.

The concerns of our farmers and fisherfolk have been left unheard for so long. If we fail to address their plight, there would be no one left to till the lands for the next generation, especially since the average age of our farmers is 57. The government must continue to push for agricultural reform in order to increase the incomes of our farmers and fisherfolk. Efforts such as the ones being undertaken by the BOC will definitely help in alleviating the economic plight of our farmers.

Sen. Kiko Pangilinan sinampolan ang mga onion smugglers

Smuggled onions drive local farmers to tears

Nakakaiyak talaga itong mga ganitong smuggled na sibuyas e. Ito ang nagpapahirap sa mga kababayan nating magsasaka na nagsisikap itaguyod ang industriya natin ng agrikultura.

According to Sibuyas ng Pilipinas Ating Alagaan (SIPAG) Foundation officials, an umbrella group of onion-growers, there is a significant surplus with this year's onion production of 124, 900 metric tons and Philippine onion demand only amounts to 101, 200 metric tons annually.

We are following thru with our previous efforts to ensure that the seized onions do not end up in the market as they pose health risks because they have not been subjected to sanitary inspection. It’s bad enough that our local farmers are losing the competition with cheaper smuggled onions.

We urge the BOC and other concerned agencies to prosecute these heartless smugglers and traders that are effectively crippling our economy. We have requested the BOC to give us updates regarding the status of these cases, and we will continue with our efforts. We also urge the private sector to join us and be vigilant in our battle against smuggling.