Pangilinan calls for arrest of rice smugglers

Senator Francis Pangilinan called for the arrest and blacklisting of consignees and brokers involved in smuggling agricultural products during Wednesday's Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform hearing.

Pangilinan named five consignees and customs brokers linked to recent seizures of smuggled goods, including 1024 Consumer Goods Trading, Berches Consumer Goods Trading, EPCB Consumer Goods Trading, Queenstar Industry Consumer Trading, and Vox Enterprises Opc.

The senator questioned why no official has been held accountable three months after President Marcos's statement that government officials are behind rice smuggling activities.

Undersecretary Carlos Carag explained that the Department of Agriculture (DA) does not have law enforcement powers and must coordinate with other agencies for actions related to agricultural smuggling cases.

Section 7 of Republic Act No. 12022 states that agricultural smuggling is considered economic sabotage if the value of smuggled products exceeds P10 million, which can lead to non-bailable charges under certain conditions.