Smuggled agricultural products seized in Subic

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has flagged 59 shipping containers recently unloaded at the Subic Bay Freeport over suspicions of misdeclaration or possible smuggling of agricultural products such as fresh onions and frozen fish.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. formally requested the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to suspend the release of the shipments pending investigation, citing the need to prevent illegal goods from entering local markets.

“Under the new Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage (AGES) Law, we can pursue not just consignees, but customs brokers, transporters, sellers and buyers. Smuggling is no longer a victimless crime–we are going after the entire supply chain,” Tiu Laurel said.

He cited the need for inter-agency coordination, pointing out that some importers misdeclare fresh onions and frozen mackerel as processed food to bypass regulations.

This tactic transfers oversight from the DA regulatory agencies to the Food and Drug Administration under the Department of Health.

The BOC, under the Department of Finance, holds the authority to seize misdeclared shipments.

In a separate operation on Tuesday at the Port of Manila, authorities intercepted six containers that were falsely declared to be carrying processed foods.

The shipments contained over 100 tons of fresh onions and frozen mackerel, with an estimated value of P34 million. Consignees Latinx Consumer Goods Trading and Lexxa Consumer Goods Trading are now being considered for blacklisting.

The 59 containers flagged in Subic, meanwhile, are linked to five other trading firms currently under review by the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry.

In 2024, the DA reported blacklisting 18 companies, surpassing the total recorded over the previous decade.

Death to smugglers

Former Surigao del Norte congressman Robert Ace Barbers is pushing for capital punishment for smuggling and hoarding of agricultural and fishery products.

Barbers, one of the proponents of the re-imposition of death penalty, said smuggling and hoarding of agricultural and fishery product have deprived millions of people of jobs and livelihoods, spawned health hazards, and reduced government revenues.

Despite the signing  in September last year of the AGES Act, which imposes stiffer penalties on smugglers and cartels, smuggling of agriculture and fishery products appears to be still rampant, he said.

“The AGES Act, it appears, did not instill fear or force smugglers to mend their ways. Unscrupulous China-based traders, together with their Filipino cohorts, continue to smuggle decaying assorted types of fish and vegetables, frozen duck, chicken, pork and other food items into the country,” Barbers said.

Even Tiu Laurel, who had expected the AGES Act to significantly reduce cases of smuggling, recently expressed his frustration over the flooding of smuggled goods in the local market, particularly from China.

He said it is high time that the Philippines adopts a death penalty law for certain crimes like smuggling of agricultural and fishery products. Since they do not undergo mandatory tests by the DOH and the FDA, smuggled goods can pose health hazards to consumers.

Even Tiu Laurel, who had expected AGES Act to significantly reduce cases of smuggling, recently expressed his frustration over the flooding of smuggled goods in the local market, particularly from China.