Senator Chiz Escudero is asking President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to appoint a full-time and competent alter ego in the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure that the challenges facing the agency are addressed with urgency, including the administration’s campaign against rice smuggling and hoarding.
“Siguro ang unang hakbang para matutukan talaga ang Department of Agriculture ay maglagay na ng permanente at full-time na secretary sa departamentong iyan. Kung mahalaga talaga iyan, kailangang may full-time at dedicated na kalihim at hindi part-time lamang,” Escudero told a radio interview over the weekend.
Escudero also said that while he understands the President’s desire to hold on to the position to personally oversee the sector, there are too many issues of national concern that he has to attend to as head of state.
“Maganda ang intensyon ng Pangulo. Ang problema ay iisa lang ang katawan niya, dadalawa lamang ang mga kamay niya at ang 24 oras niya ay 24 oras din nating lahat,” the senator said. “Hindi kaya nitong pagtama-tamain na gampanan pa rin niya ang trabaho bilang pangulo ng bansa na sinu-supervise ang lahat ng departamento. Importante rin naman at matutukan din ang bawat butil, gagamitin ko na ang salitang butil, ng problema na kailangang asikasuhin dito sa Agriculture department.”
In the same interview, the veteran legislator reiterated his call for the government to act against rice hoarding and smuggling by exposing the names of people, not just the trading companies involved in the illegal activities, and filing the appropriate charges.
“Noong tinanong ko si Senator Cynthia Villar dun sa interpellation sa anti-agricultural smuggling bill, ang sabi niya ay puro pangalan lamang ng mga kumpanya ang binigay daw sa kanya ng Bureau of Customs,” Escudero revealed.
“Ang problema doon, hindi naman makakasuhan ng criminal na kaso ang mga kumpanya. Hindi naman makakagawa ng krimen ang kumpanya; ang gumagawa ng krimen ay tao at kung may parusa man sa kumpanya, ‘yan ay tatanggalan lang ng lisensya o registration ng SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) pero hindi naman puwedeng mag-hoarding, mag-smuggling ang kumpanya. Tao ang gumagawa noon kaya tao ang dapat kasuhan,” he stressed.
Escudero said that under Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, rice smuggling and hoarding are classified as economic sabotage which are non-bailable offenses and carry a penalty of life imprisonment.