THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program to catch tax cheats and evaders.
The Department of Agriculture meanwhile must have the Run After Boarders and Smugglers to stop the rising prices of agriculture and farm products.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Trade and Industry have information and separate listings of owners of warehouses, mostly in Bulacan where attractive (in terms of prices) agricultural produce are stored and released once prices escalate (for profit).
I wonder why so few individuals have been apprehended and charged for hoarding and smuggling, acts akin to economic sabotage.
I am aware that President PBBM is furious over the sabotaging of agriculture products from the Department of Agriculture, an agency he temporarily heads and is exerting efforts to unearth possible smuggling activities thereat.
Up to this day, prices of rice, our main staple crop, have not been lowered instead prices thereof spiked and the pices of palay have gone up. Add to this is the mark up of middlemen who cause the trouble. Why is there a need for middlemen in the first place?
Worse, the countries we have been importing rice from like India have been adamant to give us the precious commodity as they too hasve suffered harvest problems.
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The former Senate President and now an established businessman and real estate developer Manuel Villar, Sr., is leading everyone in real estate business.
Recently, he launched Villar City, dubbed the new center of gravity of Metro Manila. This will feature 14 smart cities, 100 world class cafes, 2,000 kilometers of new roads, 100 sprawling gardens and 1 million trees to fill the lands.
Villar is a story of success from humble beginnings. This self-made man rose to prominence in government service, riches and fame and is listed by Forbes as the richest man (individually) in the country.