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

In an 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 the smuggling of agricultural products.

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

He added: "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 this law."

He noted that officials of the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture were aware of the identities of individuals involved in the smuggling of agricultural products into 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 David Bangayan and Lea Cruz, who were once in the headlines after being tagged 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," Ejercito said.

Importations
Ejercito also lamented the government's over-reliance on importation.

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

"Right and left importation permits appear to have just been issued," he added.

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

He noted that the Sugar Regulatory Administration, which is supposed to monitor and develop the sugarcane industry, did the same thing.

"Unfortunately, after its passage, as I said, agencies such as the SRA and the DA, instead of concentrating on revitalizing the sugarcane industry became dependent on importation," he said.

Full-time DA chief
For Ejercito, a permanent secretary in the Agriculture department might resolve the problems hounding the agriculture industry.

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

More than a year after assuming the highest government office, Marcos has yet to name an Agriculture secretary.

While designating a full-time DA chief might be a solution, the lawmaker 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 what is happening to our agriculture industry as a whole," he added.