Three agriculture product importers were blacklisted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) for engaging in illegal practices that put public health at risk.

In a news release on Wednesday, October 9, the DA announced that three of the importers were blacklisted, while five others are set to have their licenses revoked. The BPI blacklisted the importers on May 21 this year.

“We will not turn a blind eye to these importers’ illegal practices that undermine government revenues and put public health at risk. To do so would be to abdicate our sworn duty to protect our farmers and the Filipino consumers,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured.

Included in the list of blacklisted importers is LVM Grains Enterprises, which imported milled rice, cashew nuts, and coffee without the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances. The other two enterprises mentioned are Kysse Lishh Consumer Goods Trading and Golden Ray Consumer Goods Trading, which imported onions and oranges without SPIC permits and import licenses.

“We will withhold the identities of these five importers because the cases we filed against them are still pending. Until their cases are resolved, however, they cannot transact with BPI,” BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban stated.

In September, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act (AGES) was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Under the law, smuggling, hoarding, and cartel operations on agricultural products are classified as economic sabotage.

Violators of the AGES are subject to face life imprisonment and will be fined triple the total value of the products involved in the crime. Additionally, the illegal transport and storage of products will also be penalized, with a 20 to 30-year prison term, plus twice the total value of the products involved.