Marcos signed a bill as “urgent” to impose a harsher punishment for rice smugglers
Rice smugglers will face “harsher punishment” under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act which will revoke the Republic Act No. 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
The rice saga continues as the struggles of “marginalized” Filipinos continue because of the high prices of basic commodities, including the staple food rice. Amid the rice price hike, the campaign promise that President Bongbong Marcos to lower the price to P20 was recalled.
Amid this problem, Senator Chiz Escudero pointed out that the Bureau of Customs was doing nothing about the smugglers and hoarders of rice. The BOC just presented that they confiscated tons of smuggled rice but there was no action after that. What was that? For photo op only?
On Thursday, the Inquirer reported that PBBM certified as urgent a Senate bill aiming to impose a harsher punishment for rice smugglers and those who are hoarding this basic commodity which affects the prices.
In a letter to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, President Bongbong Marcos stated, “The need to facilitate the passage of this important piece of legislation is imperative, especially now that the country is beset by rising prices and shortages in agricultural products, partly due to the nefarious acts of smuggling, hoarding, profiteerĂng, and cartel.“
The bill also aims to promote the productivity of farmers and to protect them from traders and importers who will take advantage of them.
So, how harsh is harsher? Would this bill scare off the predators who always waiting for every opportunity to gain from other people’s dire situations?
Based on Lawphil, the penalty for Republic Act No. 10845 is “life imprisonment and a fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled agricultural product and the aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided.”
This means that the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act will have steeper penalties. Death penalty perhaps?
Whatever the penalty is, the government should also pay attention to the implementation. How can a smuggler be imprisoned when there are corrupt officials who are protecting them? Maybe, a harsher punishment for government officials who are involved in these wrongdoings should be put into law as well.
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