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FROM JUST THE optics that the former leadership of the Department of Agriculture Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) office used, the new head is now adopting a trifocal strategy, namely: 1) Soft Touch Enforcement Protocols (STEP); 2) the TRACER (or Tracking Reported and Alerted Consignments for Express Results), and 3) DA-IE requests the Customs bureau to TIN-block the importer in the BOC’s ICT systems.
Previously, the DA’s enforcement operations entailed Tac Teams, which are highly visible component of field enforcement such as raids, searchers and all optics.
These steps are contained in what it called AGRIForcement (the contraction of Agriculture and Enforcement) Version 2.0.
The new Assistant Secretary, Cuyco, of the DA-IE, headed by Undersecretary Carlos Carag, said the old system produced cargo confiscations of goods abandoned by importers and traders, leading to no charges against persons involved, which the greedy importers and traders book as “cost of doing business.”
The erring traders then moved to the next importation, sans disruption and prosecution. This did not make a dent on stopping illicit trade.
‘Cuyco, of the DA-IE, headed by Undersecretary Carlos Carag, said the old system produced cargo confiscations of goods abandoned by importers and traders, leading to no charges against persons involved … as “cost of doing business”.’
NEW SYSTEM
With the trifocal offensive there “would be no optical raids and searches, no muscle, no arms, no balaclava, just papers, inspectors, auditors and monitors,” Cuyco explained in his FB post.
Under STEP, upon receipt of derogatory information from its layered sources, the DA Undersecretary for Inspectorate and Enforcement issues Advice for Law Enforcement and Regulatory Tracking or ALERT Requests where the alerted cargoes are traced and subjected to the “prior inspection and examination (PIE) by the DA’s port-based Quarantine and Border Inspectors, pursuant to Section 12(b) of RA 10611.”
The DA-IE copy furnishes the Anti-Agricultural Economic Council (chaired by President Marcos), Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, and newly-appointed Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.
Next, the TRACER follows. Then the PIE is scheduled by the Port authorities of the BOC.
COORDINATION
Reports said that today, July 8, Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. will preside over the PIE of some 58 alerted containers that are now covered by the TRACER radar at the Subic Freeport, in the company of BOC Port officials.
Depending on the result of the PIE, the DA-IE will apply whatever is administratively doable within the confines of the DA Trade Regulatory Agencies (TRAs), like TIN-blocks access to import permits, issues show cause orders (SCOs) to erring importers tasking them to explain why their accreditation or registration should not be suspended, revoked, or cancelled.
Then DA-IE requests the Customs bureau to TIN-block the importer in the BOC’s ICT systems.
In the event the STEP takes a while due to dilatory tactics of concerned importers and/or regulators, the DA-IE resorts to the facilities of the AAES Council’s Enforcement Group.
TIGHTER ENFORCEMENT
The raid in Paco market last week was an offshoot of DA’s referral to the Council after the intransigence of the warehouse owner that stalled the DA-IE operatives for some 3 weeks of covert operations.
DA-IE may also make direct referrals to the Special Team of Prosecutors under Section 17(a) of RA 12022. This a prelude to prosecutorial engagement.
Internally, the DA-IE has a reserve or spare magazine for TRA officials and employees who may be part of the rotten system which the whole DA under its current leadership desires to alter and change: the TOPS Matrix (Task-Officer-Period to Act-Sanction).
This TOPS completes the tripod of AGRIForcement.
Guess, we are seeing the light of day now– a prelude to tighter enforcement of the Anti Agricultural Smuggling and Cartelized operations law.
#DA-IE
#trifocalapproach
#antiagrismuggling
#lessoptics
#moreprosecutorialtact
#thephinsider