Ejercito: ‘About time’ to have a permanent Agriculture Secretary

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito on Wednesday aired his frustration over the large-scale smuggling of agricultural products in the country which he said is sabotaging the economy.

In his interview on Daily Tribune's digital program "Straight Talk," Ejercito, one of the authors of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, lambasted government officials who are supposed to halt smuggling of agricultural products in the country.

"What saddens me is that it is not easy to pass laws. It's a tedious process, which will take two or three years. These laws were designed to protect our agricultural industry," he said.

"We also have the SIDA (Sugarcane Industry Development Act) Law, which aims to revitalize the sugar industry, however, after its passage, we have yet to hear of someone getting arrested for violating these laws," he added.

He noted that the officials of the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture are aware of the identities of individuals involved in the smuggling of agricultural products in the country.

"They know who the traders are. They know who the importers are. It seems like they are taking something to blind or blur their eyes," he said.

The lawmaker particularly mentioned the names of David Bangayan and Lea Cruz, who once headlined the news after being identified as big-time smugglers of rice and onions.

"We all know the names of these notorious hoarders, cartels and smugglers yet they are still roaming free," he said.

Earlier this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who concurrently chairs the DA, attributed the recent increase in the price of rice to market manipulation by smugglers and hoarders.

Due to the price increase, Marcos issued Executive Order 39, which sets the price ceiling for varieties of rice, a staple food in Filipino households.

'Importations'

Ejercito also lamented about the government's reliance on importation.

"The NFA [National Food Authority] is an agency that is supposed to stabilize the price of rice whenever there is a shortage, but it relies on importation just to arrest the inflation," he said.

"Importation permits are being issued right and left," he added.

The lawmaker, who authored Republic Act 10659, or the SIDA, also expressed concern over the negligence of the country's sugar industry.

"Unfortunately, after its [SIDA] passage, as I mentioned, agencies such as the SRA [Sugar Regulatory Administration] and the DA [Department of Agriculture], instead of concentrating on revitalizing the sugarcane industry, became dependent on importation," he said.

'Full-time DA chief'

For Ejercito, a permanent secretary for the Agriculture department may resolve the problems hounding the agriculture industry of the country.

"I think it's about time," he said.

More than a year after assuming the highest government office, Marcos has yet to name his pick for the DA.

However, while designating a full-time DA chief may be a solution, Ejercito said the cooperation of other officials in the agency is still needed.

"He [Marcos] is serious about fixing the problems. It's just that there are still erring officials in the government who have no shame," he said.

"They should be ashamed because the President is taking the hit for their non-action and for what is happening to our agriculture industry as a whole," he added.