THERE’S NO WAY for the government to address legitimate concerns of the Filipino farmers unless agencies in charge of agri trade put an end to “enterprising” smuggling syndicates using somebody else’s importation permits.
Importation permits covering vegetables, grains, fruits, processed food, fish, and frozen meat among others classified under the category of “agriculture products” are issued by the Department of Agriculture.
During a recent senate hearing conducted by the committee on agriculture, Senator Francis Pangilinan himself admitted “extremely shocked” over the revelation of a food delivery rider who claims to have been used as a dummy by a syndicate behind agri-smuggling.
CORPORATE DUMMIES
During the hearing, resource persons hinted at two schemes being used by agricultural smugglers, one of which is to put up and register companies where individuals were spuriously listed as owners.
According to Dexter Jualam, who works as FoodPanda delivery rider, he has nothing to do with the EPCB Consumer Goods Trading where his name appeared as owner.
Worse, Jualam, who lives in Bulacan, on several occasions was made to appear as a consignee of smuggled agricultural products.
In other cases, agri-smugglers are renting importation permits from “smaller” importers who in turn get “commissions,” depending on the volume of agri-imports.
CONSIGNEES-FOR-HIRE
Seemingly convinced by the dubious scheme embarking on the use of dummies, Pangilinan cited the urgent need to address the “enterprising scheme, which according to him preys on hapless farmers and fishermen alike.
Cases of the so-called consignees-for-hire resurfaced during the senate hearing as alleged importers of smuggled agricultural products claimed to have either no knowledge or admitted to leasing out their license for a fee.
He said his uncle, Erwin Pascual, talked to him about being named a consignee. All he remembered was that his uncle took his ID and registered it at the pier, Jualam added, when asked about the real owner of EPCB.
He told Pangilinan he is just a rider for FoodPanda.”
UNLIKELY CAPABLE
For a FoodPanda rider who only gets to earn a minimal amount corresponding to each delivery, there’s no way for Jualam to own EPCB, even as his entire earnings for one year won’t be enough to cover registration fees, business permits and other government requirements.
According to Senator Erwin Tulfo, it is imperative for the Senate to dig deeper if only to uncover the people behind EPCB.
“How can you believe that this is the owner? It’s just like what happened with our flood control cases—random people claiming ownership when they really aren’t the true owners. What’s happening now is a case of misrepresentation,” Tulfo lamented.
LICENSE FOR RENT
In the same hearing, Jovelyn Berches Daria, who initially claimed to own the Berches Consumer Good Trading (BCGT), admitted having a license that she leases out for a fee. Her company was formed two years ago.
BCGT is being dragged into the P59 million worth of shipments seized by the Bureau of Customs in July this year. Misdeclared as “chicken poppers,” authorities discovered the shipment contained carrots and white onions.
Berches-Daria, owner of BCGT, admitted that her company imported 19 containers. She however clarified that the real importer is the group who borrowed her license for a fee.
By her own admission, Birches-Daria gets P500 from the P3,000 to P10,000 in commissions per container — “We just earn a commission. Basically, we’re just renting out our license.”
STARK SIMILARITIES
“So it’s similar to flood control, right? Does that mean you’re not the ones actually paying or importing?” Pangilinan said, which Berches-Daria denied.
She identified one of their brokers as John Cyril Mapa Imperial, but the latter denied knowing BCGT or its owners and employees, saying he was clueless as to why he was in the hearing.
Imperial admitted that he is a broker but for other companies in Metro Manila. “I don’t know why I’m here, Mr. Chair. Actually, I’m supposed to be working right now,” he told the committee.
Birches-Daria’s companion, Brenda de Sagun, who was later called explained that Berches only receives shipments from clients.
“Since we have no shipment, we decided to rent it out,” de Sagun said.
CLOSED SINCE 2024
Meanwhile, the importer named for the BCGT transaction was 1024 Consumer Goods Trading, whose owner denied knowledge of the transactions.
According to Merlin Jacinto, the 1024 Consumer Goods Trading which she admitted owning, has been closed since last year.
Broker Judy Ann Gumban-Jungco also said that she signed documents for three entries under Queenstar Industry Consumer Trading. She said she closed a deal with a certain “Jo Reyes.” The owner of Queenstar also denied involvement in the transactions.
ORGANIZED SYNDICATE
Pangilinan said the testimonies point to an “organized syndicate” running agricultural smuggling operations by exploiting small traders and using rented permits.
As in the case of ghost flood control projects, Pangilinan said operators must be pursued and held accountable.
Pangilinan vowed the Senate would coordinate with the Bureau of Customs, Department of Agriculture (DA) and law enforcement to dismantle the network.
“The people are fed up with corruption and syndicates, so together we must fix this problem of agricultural smuggling,” he concluded.
OVER THE COUNTER
If he had his way, Senator Raffy Tulfo would want to see all officials of the bureaus (under DA) behind the wanton issuance of importation permits.
“Why has the DA been carelessly issuing import permits for all sorts of importation, without any scientific basis for their need,?” an obviously pissed off legislator averred.
He then asked the committee to summon bureaus in charge of issuing permits — including directors whom he claimed would not dare move without concurrence of the “higher ups.” In military parlance, chain of command.
Such vital papers can easily leave their offices– even without being properly recorded in official records– and can be sold to anyone, any company that is willing to put their names and companies (especially new ones) on the line.
And just as easily as these permits can leave the Diliman offices, the commissions earned from such illegal shipments can exchange hands– reaching the top brass– without any paper trail, if paid in cash.
Why zero in on the dummies and those consignees -for- rent? They are just layers of messengers. Go as high up as DA directors, undersecretaries and others for the root cause of their operation.