Ni NOEL ABUEL
Tiwala si Senador Cynthia Villar na matatapos na ang paghihirap ng mga Filipino farmers at consumers sanhi ng cartel, smuggling at iba pang katiwalian dahil malapit nang maisabatas ang Anti- Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
Ayon sa senador, bago mag-adjourn ang 2nd Regular Session ng 19th Congress noong Miyerkules, niratipikahan ng Senado ang bicameral conference committee report sa Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
“The measure intends to repeal the seven-year old Republic Act No. 10845, or the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act,” and introduce severe sanctions on the nefarious acts of smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and cartel of agricultural and fishery products,” ayon sa senador.
Iginiit ni Villar, principal author at sponsor ng panukala na “self-preservation” ito laban sa pagmamanipula ng economic saboteurs at proteksyon din sa pangkabuhayan ng mga magsasaka.
“This is also a protection of the State from tax evaders and non-payors of duties. This will ensure the well-being of our agricultural producers and welfare of the consumers, and the economy as a whole,” binigyan diin ni Villar.
Tulad ng inaasahan, ang Department of Agriculture (DA) ang papayagang mag-import ng bigas at hindi ibinalik ni Villar sa National Food Authority (NFA).
Aniya, matatakpan din nito ang mga butas sa taxat duty collection.
Ipinasa ng Senado ang Senate Bill No. 2432 o Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Bill” noong December 2023, at sinertipikan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bilang “urgent”.
Noong March 20, 2024, isinagawa ng mga kinatawan ng Senado at Kongreso ang bicam conference sa panukala.
Ang mga salient features ng batas ay ang mga sumusunod:
- The creation of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Task Force directly under the control and supervision of the Office of the President.
- Creation of an Enforcement Group which shall have the authority to visit areas where the agricultural and fisheries products are located on the strength of a Letter of Authority (LoA), issued by the Executive Committee of the Council;
- Creation of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Court under the jurisdiction of the Court of Tax Appeal;
- Creation of a Special Team of Prosecutors from the DOJ for the expeditious prosecution of cases involving agri-economic sabotage;
- Creation under the DA of the Daily Price Index Monitoring Office, established and maintained by the AMAS and the BAR to monitor and report on the prices of enumerated agricultural products in all the regions of country;
- Covered agricultural products: rice, corn, beef, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, other vegetables, fruits, fish, salt, and other aquatic products, in their raw state or which has under gone simple process of preservation, until post-harvest stage of the supply chain; palm oil, palm oleic, raw and refined sugar and tobacco.
- Establishment of the long delayed National Single Window System.
- Also included are : financing of agricultural economic sabotage crimes enumerated in this Act, use of government storage facilities for the purpose of act enumerated herein, and illegal acts of the enforcement group as enumerated in the Act.
- Any person may directly file a criminal complaint with the DOJ Special Team of Prosecutors and/or Administrative Complaint with the appropriate government agency, which shall be verified and supported with affidavits or a Citizen’s suit.
Kasama ni Villar, nag co-author din sa naturang batas sina Senador Robinhood Padilla, Senador Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., Senador Imee Marcos, Senador Lito Lapid, Senador Raffy Tulfo, Senador Ronald dela Rosa, Senador JV Ejercito, Senador Joel Villanueva, Senador Risa Hontiveros at Senador Loren Legarda.
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