SENATOR Cynthia Villar welcomed Friday the signing into law of the bill imposing stiffer penalties against the smuggling of agricultural products.
On May 23, President Benigno Aquino III signed into law the Republic Act 10845, or the Act Declaring Large-Scale Agricultural Smuggling as Economic Sabotage.
Villar, chair of Senate agriculture and food committee, said the new law will boost the campaign against smuggling, which continues to threaten the livelihood of farmers, as well as the food security in the country.
"With this measure now enacted, we have a better shot at curbing the perennial problem of smuggling in the agricultural sector. Harsher penalties are now imposed to serve as deterrent to smuggling activities," the senator said.
Villar was also optimistic that the process of prosecution will improve now that smuggling is a non-bailable charge.
Under RA 10845, the amount of smuggled agricultural product subject to economic sabotage is equal or more than P10 million for rice, and equal or more than P1 million for other agricultural products like sugar, corn, pork, poultry, garlic, onion, carrots, fish, and cruciferous vegetables.
Violators will face a penalty of 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.
"Economic saboteurs deserve to be severely punished under this new law. They threaten the livelihood of small and subsistence farmers because the presence of smuggled products unjustly lowers market price, making it almost impossible for locally-produced goods to compete," Villar said. (Sunnex)