EDITORIAL - Signs of the times

It’s a testament to the sad state of agriculture that Filipinos traveling abroad are bringing onions upon their return to the country. Onion prices in the Philippines are now, hands down, the highest in the world. Sugar prices are not far behind, refusing to come down to reasonable levels.

Because of this state of food insecurity, 10 flight attendants of Philippine Airlines who tried to bring in onions and other fresh produce from Dubai and Riyadh on Jan. 10 are getting sympathy even from some senators.

The Bureau of Plant Industry reported that the 10 brought into the country 27 kilos of onions, 10.5 kilos of lemons and a kilo each of blueberries and strawberries without the required phytosanitary clearance and without properly declaring the fresh items, which are classified as “regulated importations.”

After being apprehended with the commodities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, a video showed the PAL crew stomping on the items, spraying them with disinfectant and poking the goods with chopsticks and pens. Customs personnel noted that one of the 10 was recorded saying on video that the destruction was meant to prevent anyone else from consuming the items. PAL management said the airline is fully cooperating in the investigation of the incident and does not condone violations of the law by its personnel.

The 10 could face charges for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act as well as Presidential Decree 1433, the Plant Quarantine Law of 1978. These are meant to prevent smuggling and to protect local crops from potentially harmful organisms from abroad. The lack of phytosanitary clearance has been cited by the government for refusing to release into the market, amid the tight supply and surging prices, tons of misdeclared yellow and red onions confiscated at the ports.

Authorities said they are studying the appropriate charges to be filed, adding they want the flight attendants penalized because similar cases have been recorded in recent weeks, which could pose phytosanitary risks to domestic produce.

Those sympathizing with the flight attendants, on the other hand, say the government should do more to stop rampant smuggling of tons of agricultural commodities instead of going after miniature fry bringing in a few kilos of precious onions.

More importantly, the public wants the government to take decisive action in significantly bringing down the prices of onions. If onions weren’t more expensive than pork and beef, who would bother lugging them into the country all the way from the Middle East?