DA blacklist grows as P3.78 billion smuggled farm goods seized

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday said seizures of smuggled farm and fishery goods have reached P3.78 billion over the past 17 months, with 20 importers now blacklisted under Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

The DA said it submitted the details in a report to the Senate agriculture committee chaired by Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

In the report, Tiu Laurel said that the agency’s inspectorate and enforcement office carried out 182 operations between January 2024 and July this year.

“We’ve blacklisted 20 importers under my watch – 13 of whom were operating without licenses,” he said.

The DA said one high-profile case involved an onion importer now detained at the Manila City Jail, with multiple charges pending in the courts of Manila and Olongapo.

The agency is pursuing more cases as it builds its evidence, Tiu Laurel said.

Still, he noted that Republic Act 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act signed by President Marcos last year, fell short of its goal.

While the law raised penalties for smugglers, it also increased the threshold for cases to qualify as economic sabotage, making them harder to prosecute.

The DA said that the law also did not give the department direct enforcement powers, leaving the agency dependent on other bodies to act against smugglers.

“The law is a step in the right direction, but without enforcement powers, our hands are tied. We cannot fully protect our farmers and fisherfolk,” Tiu Laurel said.

He called for closer coordination with the Bureau of Customs and the Food and Drug Administration, along with the creation of a permanent secretariat mandated by law, to be led by the DA.

“This fight is far from over,” Tiu Laurel said.