A DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) official said the council that will enforce Republic Act (RA) No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, could hold its first meeting before year’s end.
Felicisimo F. Madayag, special assistant to the DA assistant secretary for Inspectorate and Enforcement said at a forum that the first meeting will focus on appointing technical experts, organizing the executive committee, and other staffing matters.
The law created the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council to oversee the implementation of RA 12022.
The council is composed of representatives from the DA, the departments of Justice, Finance, Interior and Local Government, Transportation, and Trade and Industry, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, and the Philippine Competition Commission. It is chaired by the President.
RA 12022 classifies agricultural smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and its financing as economic sabotage. It levies fines equivalent to five times the value of any smuggled or hoarded agricultural products, with violators also facing the prospect of life imprisonment.
Mr. Madayag said seized agricultural and fisheries products have been valued at “more than P2 billion” in the year to date. He did not give a more detailed estimate.
The law also requires the establishment of a daily price index (DPI) to help determine the value of commodities where smuggling and hoarding is alleged.
The DA has released Special Order No. 1804, which created a technical working group to establish guidelines on the compilation of the DPI. — Adrian H. Alternate
