Vice presidential candidate and Senator Francis Pangilinan on Saturday said the government was to blame for allowing the widespread smuggling of agricultural products in the country.
According to Pangilinan, the government is not serious about its task of stamping out illicit transactions and is even tolerant of them.
"Hindi seryoso ang gobyerno na nakaupo ngayon na labanan ang smuggling. Kinukunsinte, malungkot mang aminin, kinukunsinte," he told DZRH in an interview.
(The government is not serious about fighting smuggling. It has been tolerant, sad to say, tolerant.)
In particular, Pangilinan zeroed in on the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) under the Department of Agriculture for not being able to file charges against smugglers who have been caught.
"Sinabi pa nung BPI… wala raw silang magagawang magsampa ng kaso. Talagang kapag ayaw maraming dahilan, kapag gusto maraming paraan," he said.
(The BPI even said… that they cannot file a case. They have so many excuses because they cannot do it, because if they do, there are lots of ways.)
"Inutil itong BPI, pinagre-resign ko na nga dahil puro dahilan ang ibinibigay niya.
(The BPI is incompetent. I wanted them to resign because they are just giving excuses.)
The senator said there are two solutions to the problem of agricultural smuggling, which are law enforcement and filing charges.
"Law enforcement, tiyakin natin na 'yung pipiliin nating Department of Agriculture secretary ay walang sinasanto, at hindi nakapaligid 'yung mga smuggler at mga kasabwat ng smuggler," said the Senator.
(Law enforcement, ensure that the next Department of Agriculture secretary is not favoring anyone, and smugglers and accomplices are not surrounding them.)
"Number two, sampahan ng kaso," he added. "Itong nangyayari kasi sa smuggling ngayon, nakikita natin doon sa Senate investigation, nariyan na 'yung warehouse, nariyan na 'yung logistics company, nandyan na 'yung transport, ba't di pinagsasampahan ng kaso itong mga ito?"
(Number two, file a case. As we can see in the Senate investigations, the warehouse is there, the logistics company is there, the transport is there, so why is the case not filed?)
Pangilinan stressed that the solution to smuggling is enforcement and to ensure that no one is above the law.
"Ang solusyon talaga diyan enforcement. Wag mamili, walang sasantuhin. Ginawa namin 'yan noong tayo ang NFA (National Food Authority) chairman, sinampahan natin ng mga kaso itong mga trader."
(The solution here is enforcement. No one should be above the law. We did it when we were NFA chairman, we filed cases against these traders.)
"Enforcement ang solusyon, habulin, sampahan ng kaso," he added.
(Enforcement is the solution. Go after them, then file a case.)
