JV pushes jail time for agri smugglers

Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito on Monday called for the tougher enforcement of anti-smuggling laws, urging authorities to go beyond seizing illegal agricultural shipments and ensure convictions, especially of high-level perpetrators.

During the Senate hearing of the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform on the implementation of the Anti-Agriculture and Economic Sabotage (AAES) Act, Ejercito lamented the lack of jail time for smugglers despite the billions of pesos worth of illegal goods seized over the years.

“We haven’t heard of anyone being jailed since that time. No one is afraid to act because no one is being held accountable, and there is no certainty of punishment. So I think that’s what is really needed — certain punishment,” Ejercito said.

He cited data presented at the hearing that showed the Bureau of Customs (BoC) had filed at least 250 cases involving agricultural smuggling from 2018 to 2024, covering products worth P8.59 billion. Despite this, no high-profile convictions have been reported.

Ejercito stressed that the absence of legal consequences for major offenders has emboldened smugglers and allowed a culture of impunity to flourish.

He warned that the continued influx of illegal agricultural imports is hurting Filipino farmers by flooding the market and driving down the prices of local produce.

“Seizures are not enough,” he said. “The people need to see that those who sabotage our economy are punished. Only then will there be fear of the law.”

Assistant Secretary Kristine Joy Diaz-Teston of the AAES Council confirmed that although Letters of Authority have been issued and goods seized, actual convictions are still rare.

The AAES Act, or Republic Act 12022, defines agricultural smuggling involving goods worth over P10 million as economic sabotage — a separate and more serious offense.

Ejercito called for stronger collaboration among the Department of Justice, Bureau of Customs, and National Bureau of Investigation to track down and prosecute the “big fish” behind the smuggling rings.