Senator Francis Escudero on Thursday again lambasted the Bureau of Customs for the delayed filing of criminal cases against the rice hoarders and smugglers in the country.

Amid the strong pronouncement of the Marcos administration on its crackdown on suspected cartels of food staples, Escudero lamented there was no single case had been filed.

"A crime definitely took place. And I am wondering why is there a crime but still no criminals at this time?" Escudero asked the BOC.

He cited the recent major seizures of rice from various warehouses nationwide, where tons of rice, believed to be either smuggled or hoarded, were being kept by the government authorities.

During the Senate plenary session on Wednesday, Escudero manifested his frustration and disappointment with the failure of the BOC to file appropriate cases against smugglers and hoarders of rice.

He also pressed the need to legislate Senate Bill 2432 under Committee Report 118—which defines the crimes of agricultural economic sabotage.

"I have yet to hear a name that is responsible for the hoarding of the rice that BOC has raided. And why is it that not a single case has been filed against any individual, much less the disclosure of their names?" Escudero said.

"Sa simpleng pananalita, hindi naman puwedeng may crime pero walang criminal. Sa dami ng ni-raid natin, sa dami ng sinabi nating maling ginagawa pang ho-hoard ng bigas, bakit hanggang ngayon wala pang sinasampahan ng kaso?" he added.

Escudero said that the Marcos administration had already started the distribution of the confiscated smuggled rice yesterday in Zamboanga City to some 3,000 indigent beneficiaries under the administration's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, and yet customs officials appeared to be slow in filing the cases.

The distributed rice was part of the 42,180 bags, amounting to P44 million, recently confiscated by the BOC in Zamboanga City.

"Kung tutuusin, magtatatlong linggo na ang nakalipas, bakit tila tahimik pa rin ang tungkol sa pagsampa ng kaso?" he said.

"Sinimulan nang ipamahagi ang mga nakumpiskang mga bigas. Katunayan na matibay ang ebidensyang illegal nga ang mga ito. Bakit hanggang ngayon, wala pa ring mga pangalan ang mga kriminal at hindi pa rin nasasampahan ng kaso?" Escudero lamented.

Escudero said criminal cases should be filed for violation of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, which considers smuggling of agricultural products as economic sabotage if it involves "at least P1 million worth of sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, fish, and cruciferous vegetables, in their raw state, or which have undergone the simple processes of preparation and preservation for the market, or a minimum of P10 million worth of rice, as valued by BOC."

"Nasabi ko na ito ngunit muli kong ipapaalala sa mga kinauukulan: Hindi tayo dapat nagtatapos sa mga raids lamang. Sampahan na ng kaso ang mga dapat kasuhan," he pressed on.