Quezon 1st District Representative, Wilfrido Mark Enverga, has successfully pushed for a new measure that will impose stricter penalties on those involved in agricultural smuggling. The House Committee on Agriculture and Food approved the measure on Wednesday, September 20th.
The yet-to-be-numbered substitute bill seeks to amend the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, also known as Republic Act (RA) No. 10845. According to Enverga, the penalties for agricultural smuggling will be significantly intensified if the measure becomes law. He explained that those guilty of smuggling, hoarding, cartelizing, and profiteering will be subjected to life imprisonment, making the punishment much more severe compared to the current law, which carries a maximum jail term of 30 to 40 years.
The bill is part of the 20 measures identified by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) for approval on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives before the year ends. Enverga hopes that the bill will be passed on the second reading in the plenary this week.
Under the new measure, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be responsible for establishing a special prosecution team solely dedicated to cases of economic sabotage. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will now be allowed to file charges, expanding the scope beyond the Bureau of Customs (BOC) as the only pursuer of such cases.
Moreover, the bill mandates traders to register with the DA and submit monthly inventory figures. These provisions aim to regulate and monitor the agricultural industry more effectively.
The initiative to amend RA No. 10845 was prompted by the inquiry on the sharp increase in onion prices, led by Enverga’s committee. House Speaker Martin Romualdez has instructed the congressmen to take action and pursue amendments to address the issue.
With the approval of the measure by the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, it now moves closer to becoming law, reinforcing the government’s commitment to combating agricultural smuggling and ensuring a fair and sustainable agricultural sector.
