‘Really bothered by corruption’

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos was bothered by reports of massive corruption in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Customs, according to outgoing Senate President Tito Sotto.

Sotto said he could tell Bongbong’s unease when their discussion touched on the DA and customs bureau.

“I sensed that in our discussion, I felt that he was really bothered by the corruption in the DA and Customs,” Sotto told reporters.

The outgoing Senate leader, who ran for vice president but lost in the last elections, described as an “excellent decision” Marcos’ appointing himself to temporarily head the DA when he assumes office on June 30.

Sotto said he urged incoming president Bongbong to prosecute all smugglers of agricultural products.

Reports say some DA and Customs officials are in cahoots with one another in the smuggling of vegetables, fish and meat products.

“I know for a fact that he already has a list of those involved in the smuggling,” Sotto said.

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused a chain effect on the world. It resulted in the rise in the prices of gasoline and diesel, which caused the hike in transport fares and which, in turn, drove up the prices of food.

The food crisis is being felt in the country big time. It will get worse in the coming months.

I’ve said this before in this column: Importers/smugglers of food produce answer the needs of the people for more food on their tables.

Rice is in short supply as vast tracts of agricultural land have been converted into subdivisions. The Philippines is the largest consumer of rice, second only to China.

The number of farmers is dwindling because their children don’t want to follow in their footsteps, preferring to take up other professions. The average age of the Filipino farmer is between 57 and 59 years, no longer of productive age.

Typhoons and diseases affecting pigs and poultry (African swine fever and avian flu) contribute to the scarcity of pork and poultry.

Incoming president Bongbong Marcos might find himself placed between two horns of a dilemma: Giving a little leeway to importers/smugglers who bring food to the tables of the hungry populace or losing considerable revenues because of food smuggling.

Bongbong needs expert advice to get out of the jam.

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There’s no other way but for the government to allow face-to-face classes, as COVID-19 cases are on the wane.

The number of patients hit by the Omicron variant may be rising, but they don’t fill up hospitals unlike those infected with the Alpha and Delta variants.

Omicron variant patients need not go to the hospital as they’re asymptomatic or just suffering from symptoms like those of an ordinary flu.

Yes, Omicron spreads faster than its Alpha and Delta sisters, but it’s much weaker.

Besides, children have very strong immune systems. I should know, because my grandchildren – ages 2, 13 and 15 – breezed through the much deadlier Delta variant which hit my household in November-December.

Although it spreads like wildfire, Omicron may have contributed to the country acquiring a sort of herd immunity. Most of the population got infected with it.

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If I were outgoing President Digong, I would not accept the offer to become a consultant of his former sidekick.

Without meaning to, Sen. Bong Go, Digong’s long-time aide-de-camp, would degrade his former boss by hiring him as a consultant.

Pro bono consultant, yes, but he should not be hired because that would place Digong in the same category as the other staff of Senator Go.

Huwag naman, Bong. Please don’t do that to your former boss.

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The incoming president should form his own team of trusted people to snoop around his government. Bongbong should also revamp the entire intelligence community.

Intelligence agencies in government can’t be trusted as their spies have been “tainted” by corruption or self- interest. These intelligence agents only file reports about the activities of people who don’t give them bribes, or those who are competitors or rivals of their friends. Most of them are too lazy.

It can be recalled that intelligence agencies fed President Digong Duterte raw or wrong information in the early days of his war on drugs. Digong mentioned in public names of persons who had long been dead or who were innocent.

One of those mentioned by Digong in public was then Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, who abhors drugs. But Digong didn’t mention the names of politicians in Pangasinan whose involvement in the illicit drug trade is public knowledge.

Digong was not also given information about a politician in Bicol who had a factory of shabu (crystal meth) in his province.

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In the Bureau of Customs, the X-ray unit bears close watching as bribery is the name of the game.

Those manning the X-ray machines, which supposedly detect contraband materials like illegal drugs, are the most corrupt in the bureau.

Highly dutiable goods pass through the X-ray but are taxed lightly or not taxed at all if the importer or broker (read: smuggler) bribes the officials and employees operating the “see-through” machines.

My sources in the bureau say that officials and employees assigned to the X-ray are the favorite of the higher-ups, as they were chosen based on how much they can share with their patrons. The X-ray unit is the most coveted assignment.

Most of the supervisors of the X-ray units have become multimillionaires a few months after they assumed the post.

One female supervisor of an X-ray unit made her boyfriend, a retired police general, win a political post by supporting his candidacy.