Alcala urged to go on leave over garlic cartel

MANILA, Philippines - An administration lawmaker urged yesterday Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to take a leave of absence pending the results of a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding his alleged link to the “garlic cartel.”

Alcala should follow the example of former health chief Enrique Ona, who took a month-long leave of absence while the NBI was investigating the expensive vaccines procured by the Department of Health (DOH), Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

Ona has since resigned from his post after his leave was extended by Malacañang.

“Secretary Alcala should face a thorough probe by the NBI since his being linked to the garlic cartel is a very serious allegation that must be investigated to the fullest,” Gatchalian said.

“Secretary Alcala should not wear thin his friendship and influence with President Aquino. It’s about time that he insulates the chief executive by taking a leave of absence until he is finally cleared by the NBI. He should do a Secretary Ona,” he said.     

Gatchalian said this was not the first time that allegations of corruption have been hurled against Alcala since several plunder and graft complaints were filed against him with the Office of the Ombudsman but he managed to keep his post.

In a sworn statement, Elizabeth Valenzuela, a garlic importer, said former Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) director Clarito Barron had told importers that they must have Alcala’s blessings so they could be issued the import permits.       

The NBI said Barron was paid P60,000 per import permit by garlic importers.

Valenzuela also pointed to Lilia Matabang Cruz, alias Leah Cruz, as the favored importer who gets the lion’s share of import permits for garlic and onion.

Cruz is the president of the Vegetables Importers Exporters and Vendors Association in the Philippines Inc. (VIEVA), the recipient of 2,469 plant quarantine clearance (import permit) for garlic from 2010 to 2014 out of the 3,652 permits that were issued by the BPI.

Aside from being president of VIEVA, Cruz is also chairperson of the National Onion Action Team (NOAT) as well as the National Garlic Action Team (NGAT), both governed by a consultative body directly under the Department of Agriculture. The National Agriculture and Fisheries Council and DA-High Value Crops Development Program serve as the secretariat of the NOAT and NGAT.

Cruz’s control of the NOAT and NGAT and her being VIEVA president enabled her to monopolize the importation of garlic and onion into the country with the collusion of the BPI through its former director, Clarito Barron who was sacked from his position at the height of the NBI investigation into the spike on prices of garlic in mid-2014, the NBI report said.

“The evident partiality of the BPI officials in the issuance of import permits and giving undue advantage to VIEVA (which received 68 percent of the import permits) have resulted in a situation wherein the garlic traders and importers were able to control the supply as well as the price of garlic,” the report added.

The NBI probe stemmed from a price spike that saw the price of a kilo of garlic skyrocketing to as high as P300 last year. Prices are currently within the range of P80 to P100 a kilo, according to DA monitoring.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the NBI was looking into the allegations against Alcala.

“It’s an ongoing investigation. We will look into all allegations, including that against Secretary Alcala, but for the meantime the evidence is sufficient for the others,” De Lima was quoted as saying.       
Gatchalian said Alcala should explain why Cruz was allowed to be the president of NOAT and NGAT, which further strengthened her monopoly of the import permits for both garlic and onion.

“Is Leah Cruz that influential in the agriculture department that she practically corners the bulk of import permits?” he said.

He said Alcala should also be asked why after being sacked from BPI, Barron was transferred in July 2014 to the DA’s field operations office after agribusiness groups called for his resignation.

He said Alcala has apparently also harbored Agriculture Undersecretary Antonio Fleta despite documentary evidence that he released millions of funds from the agency to bogus foundations, including non-government organizations owned by accused plunderer and alleged pork barrel queen, Janet Lim-Napoles.

“There is a preponderance of circumstantial evidence pointing to Secretary Alcala’s possible link to the garlic racket which should be reason enough for him to take a leave of absence pending results of the NBI probe,” Gatchalian said.