The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform conducted its inquiry into the country’s agricultural and food crises on Tuesday, with a sharp focus on large-scale smuggling and the inability of concerned agencies to prosecute and jail major perpetrators.
The hearing invited individuals allegedly used as “dummies” by smuggling syndicates, as well as key documents believed to connect them to the real masterminds behind the illicit trade.
As a result, the number of detainees held by the Senate has now increased, according to RH Raymund Dadpaas, following the citation for contempt of two customs brokers believed to have lied under oath.
The brokers, Lujin Arm Ramos Tenero of 1024 Consumer Goods Trading and Brenda De Sagun of Berches Consumer Goods Trading, were cited after Senate Agriculture Committee members raised concerns about inconsistencies in their testimonies.
Senator JV Ejercito filed the motion to cite the two for contempt, a move supported by Committee Chairman Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.
Both Tenero and De Sagun claimed they only knew the first names of individuals who allegedly borrowed their import licenses, which were later used in smuggling agricultural products.
Tenero said he only knew a person named “Carlos,” who requested the importation of containers reportedly containing Chicken Poppers and Chicken Lollipop. Investigations, however, revealed that the containers actually held frozen mackerel and round scads.
During the contempt proceedings, Tenero reportedly broke down, expressing concern over what might happen to his mother if he were detained in Pasay City Jail once the Senate’s detention facilities reach capacity.
Similarly, De Sagun claimed she only knew a “Mr. Vicente,” who used her license to import 19 containers of Chicken Poppers and Chicken Lollipop. Upon inspection, the containers were found to contain carrots and red and white onions.
Senator Pangilinan likened the modus operandi to the so-called “Ghost Flood Control Projects,” in which contractors lent out licenses, resulting in ghost projects.
In the case of smuggling, brokers lend their licenses at ports, allowing syndicates to illegally import goods without accountability.
This is the second high-profile contempt case handled by the Senate recently, following the detention of four individuals implicated in the ghost flood control projects—Curlee Discaya, Engr. Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza.
The Senate committee is set to continue its investigation, underscoring the urgency of addressing smuggling and the loopholes in enforcement that allow major agricultural products to enter the country illegally.
