SMUGGLED GOODS. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in partnership with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), leads the inspection of flagged containers containing smuggled goods from China at the Subic Bay New Container Terminal in Subic, Zambales on Tuesday (July 8, 2025). These included illegally imported frozen fish, carrots, and onions. (Photo courtesy of DA)
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) strongly condemns the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Marcos Jr. administration for their utter failure to stop the relentless wave of agricultural smuggling that continues to cripple local production and devastate the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk. The latest seizure of some Php34.2 million worth of smuggled onions and mackerel in Manila, followed by Php138 million worth of smuggled rice, carrots, and fish in Cebu and Subic, are not signs of government success but glaring evidence of the administration’s inutility to stop agricultural sabotage.
Despite President Marcos Jr.’s recent statement labeling agricultural smuggling a “national security threat,” the nonstop surge in smuggling only proves that organized syndicates remain emboldened and protected. No big-time smuggler has been arrested or prosecuted under his watch. The Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, passed to end this scourge, has so far been reduced to a paper tiger. Meanwhile, smuggled goods are repeatedly traced back to known importers and consignee firms, but their owners are “untouchables.”
“Paulit-ulit ang smuggling, paulit-ulit ding mga pangalan ang sangkot. Parang palabas lang ang mga panghuhuli at raid dahil walang nasasampahan ng kaso at walang nakukulong dahil malakihang smuggling,” said KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos. “Kailangang panagutin hindi lang ang mga smugglers kundi pati na ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno na kasabwat sa krimen na ito.”
As far as farmers are concerned, President Marcos Jr, is directly accountable for large-scale agricultural smuggling. Under his watch, unlimited importation was aggressively pushed, creating more channels for smuggling and import cartels to thrive. Authorities, especially the Bureau of Customs knows who the smugglers are. Trading has been repeatedly flagged in seizures but not a single entity have been decisively dismantled.
“Ang mga malalaking ismagler at ang kartel ang dapat na tinutugis ng batas at hindi ang maliliit na maglalako sa mga palengke. Sa huli, dahil sa import liberalization, napapaboran pa rin ang mga importers at traders. Pinapatay nito ang kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka,” said Ronnie Manalo, KMP Secretary General.
The DA has also failed to protect the public from health risks posed by the entry of unsafe smuggled goods. Reports have confirmed that smuggled onions sold in local markets were found to contain E. coli. Despite this, the DA has not strengthened inspection systems nor held anyone responsible. The BOC, for its part, continues to allow the misdeclaration of shipments like onions disguised as mantou and frozen fish labeled as noodles. These patterns expose a corrupt and complicit bureaucracy that remains callous to the worsening plight of food producers.
The farmers group said real accountability demands more than seizures. They demand public naming of import cartel leaders, the filing of criminal charges, and the dismantling of the networks inside the Customs and Agriculture departments that have enabled large-scale economic sabotage for years.#
