Essay About Smuggling

Mr. President, my esteemed colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant good afternoon.

I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege regarding an issue with transcendental importance - smuggling of agricultural products. It’s an illicit trade whose perpetrators feed on the blood and sweat of our farmers, like hungry vultures feasting on an abandoned meat in the desert.

As I speak, Mr. President, chances are, tons of rice, or thousands of bags of onions or garlic, or even containers loaded with meat from abroad are being slipped into the country with no taxes and duties paid; or without permits; or with fake import documents. Meaning, smuggling.

How do they do it? Well, kailangan pa bang i-memorize ‘yan? With the right connection

They wantonly ship in farm produce from other countries in huge volumes, and control the supply and manipulate the prices, which makes it extremely hard for our farmers to corner a space in the market to sell their meager harvest - para pangkain lang.

For the government, this is economic sabotage. Pero para sa ating mga magsasaka, ito ay isang PARUSA.

Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act (Republic Act 10845)

In the 16th Congress, we passed the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, or Republic Act 10845, to address the unabated smuggling of agricultural products in the country.

This law defines the crime of large-scale agricultural smuggling as economic sabotage due to its inimical effects on national interest, economic growth and development, and, of course, the Filipino farmers.

To ensure food security and stability, as well as protect the economic interest of our farmers, higher sanctions for certain acts of agricultural smuggling tantamount to economic sabotage are imposed.

Harsher punishments for smugglers, conspirators disguise as legitimate businessmen and protectors cloaked in government barong tagalog are imposable to curtail acts of agricultural