đź“· President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs Republic Act No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act before members of both houses of Congress in a ceremony at Malacanang Palace.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday signed a new law to combat agricultural smuggling, profiteering, and hoarding, making food more affordable and accessible, and providing better income to local farmers
In a ceremony at Malacañang Palace, Marcos signed Republic Act No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, before members of both houses of Congress, Cabinet members, and other agriculture stakeholders.
Under the new law, smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, cartel, and financing of these crimes involving agricultural and fishery products are classified as acts of economic sabotage and will carry a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of up to five times the value of the products involved in the crime.
It is also seen to help make food more accessible and affordable for Filipinos while enhancing income opportunities for local farmers and fisherfolk.
The Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, a priority measure of the Marcos administration, repeals Republic Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, replacing it with more comprehensive mechanisms to ensure stricter enforcement and better implementation.
In his message, Marcos thanked legislators for passing the measure and warned smugglers and profiteers that justice would “swiftly and decisively” find them.
“We will confront and dismantle the powerful forces that have long exploited our system for their own gain, ensuring that justice prevails and the dignity of our agricultural sector is upheld,” Marcos said.
“No more backdoors, no more shortcuts, and certainly, no more turning a blind eye in the Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.
He said the Philippines lost over PHP3 billion to agricultural smuggling in 2023 alone and in less than nine months this year, over PHP230 million worth of smuggled agricultural products were seized.
‘Very happy’
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. welcomed the enactment of the new law, which gives more teeth to the agency in running after smugglers.
“I’m very happy na finally ma-sign na iyan (it’s finally signed) because this gives us, in DA, iyong karapatan o kaya more, mas may ngipin na kami para habulin itong mga smuggler na ito (the right or more teeth to run after smugglers),” Tiu Laurel said in an interview.
He warned smugglers and unscrupulous traders to stop their illegal acts gravely affecting farmers and fishers.
“Sana naman ngayon, matakot na iyong mga may plano gumawa ng mga illegal na smuggling dahil non-bailable ito kung mahuli sila (We hope that now, those who are planning illegal smuggling will now fear because these are non-bailable [offenses] once they were caught),” he said.
Crimes classified as economic sabotage include agricultural smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, cartel and financing.
For economic sabotage, penalties include life imprisonment and a fine thrice the value of agricultural products involved.
Acts supporting economic sabotage including transport and storage are also punishable under the law with penalties of at least 20 to 30 years in jail and a doubled fine of the value of the involved agricultural commodity.
“Nakakasiguro ang taong bayan na ang DA kasama ang (The people can be assured that the DA, together with the) Bureau of Customs at mga ibang (and other) government agencies like PNP (Philippine National Police) ay hahabulin namin kayo lahat (we will run after you all),” Tiu Laurel said. (PNA)
