Pangilinan to DOJ: Prove billionaire agri smugglers aren’t untouchable

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Thursday challenged the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), to go after wealthy agricultural smugglers and prove that they are not “untouchable.”

During the Senate hearing on the DOJ’s proposed 2027 budget, Pangilinan questioned the agencies over the dismissal of agricultural smuggling cases because of missing or incomplete documentary requirements from the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

READ: BOC uncovers P136.9M worth of misdeclared agricultural, illegal goods

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“Forgive me, [DOJ] Secretary [Frederick] Vida, [NBI] Director [Melvin] Matibag. I’m challenging you. These people are untouchable up to this point,” Pangilinan said.

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He said the country was dealing with billions of pesos worth of smuggled agricultural products, raising concerns about their quality and safety.

“We’re talking of billions of pesos worth of smuggled goods being brought into our country whose quality is questionable, whose safety standards are obviously unclear,” he added.

Pangilinan urged authorities to pursue what he described as “billionaires” allegedly behind the smuggling of agricultural products.

“Prove to us, show us that they are not untouchable. Show us what you can do to prove that they are not untouchable,” he said.

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He also told the DOJ that he was willing to support its budget as long as the days of these “untouchable” smugglers are numbered.

90 of 100 cases dismissed

Pangilinan noted that of more than 100 cases involving the apprehension of agricultural and smuggled products forwarded by the DOJ, about 90 had been dismissed, allegedly because the BOC failed to provide certified true copies of the documents.

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Vida said the DOJ was now requiring the BOC and even the Bureau of Internal Revenue to resubmit the documents and pursue cases against individuals who may be responsible.

He added that the Office of the Ombudsman had warned that officials’ failure to comply with their duties could constitute dereliction of duty.

Matibag, meanwhile, said the NBI, DOJ and the BOC will sign a tripartite agreement to strengthen case buildup for smuggling cases.

Lowering valuations

Pangilinan also raised concerns over changes in the reported value of confiscated goods, citing instances in which shipments initially reported to be worth more than P10 million allegedly ended up with lower valuations.

“It’s quite convenient; it’s mostly below 10 million, bailable. That’s also something you need to look into, because there seems to be some adding or deducting from the amounts,” he said.

Matibag said that during his time, the NBI already had apprehensions for smuggled agricultural products worth more than 10 million.

“We have onion, 37 million, chicken around 12 million now,” he added.

READ: Making sense of the 2027 national budget

Rule of law

Pangilinan requested a separate meeting with the agencies to work on the issue.

Vida said the DOJ and its attached agencies would continue working with the Senate on the matter.

Responding to Pangilinan’s challenge to go after the supposed “untouchable” smugglers, Vida said the DOJ’s guiding principle was the rule of law.

“No one should be above the law,” Vida said, adding that the DOJ would prosecute those who should be prosecuted regardless of their names or stature.

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The Senate finance committee then approved the DOJ’s proposed P46.435-billion budget for 2027 for plenary consideration. /mcm