Ejercito pushes for jail time for agri smugglers

Senator JV Ejercito is advocating for harsher penalties, including imprisonment, for agricultural smugglers to combat illegal trade.

A Senate inquiry revealed that the illegal use and sale of import licenses for smuggled agricultural goods continue to harm the farm sector.

Jovelyn Daria, owner of Berches Consumer Goods Trading, admitted to renting out her company's import license, which was linked to P59 million worth of misdeclared carrots and white onions seized in Subic.

Daria stated that she received only around P500 per imported container and was unaware of the actual contents, which brokers claimed were supposed to be chicken lollipops.

One broker, Brenda De Sagun, denied responsibility, stating that she was only informed the shipment contained chicken lollipops.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno characterized these instances as "classic examples" of consignees-for-hire, where small traders are exploited as fronts for larger smuggling operations.