By Manny Piñol
Faced with the problem of rampant smuggling of meat, agriculture and fisheries products using fake or fraudulent importation permits, I have declared an all-out campaign against the criminal activity which not only deprives government with taxes but also works against the interest of the Filipino farmers and fisher folks.
Late yesterday, I signed an order which effectively cancelled all previously issued permits covering the importation of all meat, agriculture and fisheries products.
Copies of the order will be forwarded to Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and all other offices involved in the importation of agricultural and fisheries products.
This means that all the importation permits now in the hands of both legitimate and unscrupulous individuals are effectively just a worthless piece of paper unless validated and marked as authentic by a “fresh” team of DA inspectors organised only last night.
As of last count, an estimated 1,700 import permits are believed to have been issued through on-line application.
Starting today, special teams from the Dept. of Agriculture will be dispatched to the Manila Container Integrated Port (MCIP) in South Harbor and the Manila International Airports to make sure that the old import permits are validated before the imported shipments will be allowed to be released from the MCIP, the NAIA or other ports of entry.
Last night before I left for a long land trip to Laoag City for today’s Organic Agriculture Summit, I also issued a directive addressed to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources that their role in the issuance of the import permits would henceforth be only recommendatory.
It will be the Secretary of Agriculture himself or the Chief of Staff, Undersecretary Francisco Villano, Jr., who will sign and approve the import permits.
I have to undertake these drastic measures in the face of the seeming helplessness of the Dept. of Agriculture in stopping the smuggling of agriculture and fisheries products.
With the onset of the Christmas season when the demand for these products is at its peak, reports of the use of recycled Importation Permits, Technical Smuggling of Pork which are declared as Offals and the entry of chicken from dubious sources have once again reached the DA.
Those holding valid import permits could go to the Office of the Secretary for the authentication and validation of their documents ahead of the arrival of their importation so as not to suffer any delay in the release of their shipments.
Those whose shipments will be arriving today or anytime before the weekend will have to show their documents to the new inspectorate team in the MCIP supervised by retired police colonel Romy Taroy.
The DA has formed a new team composed of representatives of BPI, BFAR and BAI who will be assigned directly under the Office of the Secretary who will accept and process applications for new import permits and also the validation of old permits.
They will work even on Saturdays and Sundays.
Starting December 1, the DA will be issuing new import permits using security papers signed by the DA Secretary or the Chief of Staff.
I offer apologies for any inconvenience this measure might cause on law abiding importers but I hope they will understand that I have to do this to protect the interest of government, the farmers and fisher folks and the legitimate importers.
The smuggling of agriculture and fisheries products has to end now.
(First photo shows the press conference yesterday when the cancellation of old permits was announced. Other photos showing smuggling activities in the country’s ports downloaded from Google.)
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