Senator Raffy Tulfo hit the Department of Agriculture (DA) for continuing to issue special importation permits or Certificates of Necessity to Import (CNI) to importers despite the oversupply of fish and other seafood products in the country.

During the Committee on Agriculture hearing on Monday, 15 September, Tulfo cited General Santos and Bohol as areas with an abundance of fish supply.

Tulfo said some of these products end up spoiling due to the lack of cold storage facilities, stressing that it continuously threatens the livelihood of local fisherfolk.

"Even though we already have an oversupply of seafood products, the DA still continues to issue special import permits," he stressed.

"This is unfair to our fisherfolk, who are losing money because their products often spoil. How can they compete when imported fish, some of which I hear come from China, are being sold so cheaply?" he added.

Tulfo required the DA to first conduct a thorough market study to determine if there is indeed a need for special import permits before issuing them.

The senator said this would ensure that local fisherfolk would not suffer losses.

Tulfo also instructed the DA to closely coordinate with the Bureau of Customs to ensure that special import permits are not used for smuggling, and that there is no undervaluation or misdeclaration of imported agricultural products.

In response, DA Undersecretary Carlos Carag and newly appointed Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno both assured Tulfo that their agencies will continue to coordinate to guarantee that the contents of the special import permits match the actual imports inside the containers.