FILE PHOTO: Senator Cynthia Villar speaks during a press conference on April 26, 2023. INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Thursday called the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 a “failure” after the law has yielded no convictions since it was enacted seven years ago.
Because of the law’s failure, she pushed for an amendment to fix its flaws.
During a Senate hearing on proposed amendments to the anti-agricultural smuggling law, the acting director for legal service of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) William Belayo said that no convictions have been made yet under the law.
“Seven years, walang miski isa man lang? Ang lakas talaga nila sa inyo, ‘di ba? Wala miski isang example? How can a law na walang example, di ba? ‘Di failure yung law, di ba?” according to Villar, one of the authors of the law in the Senate.
(Seven years, there is not even just one? They have a strong influence over you, haven’t they? Not even one example? How can a law have no example, right? Then that is a failure of law, right?)
READ: Agriculture smuggling: An unending torture for PH farmers
Belayo said requirements for filing non-bailable cases under economic sabotage were high.
Villar said that changes could be made accordingly to see more convictions.
“The intent is for them to go to jail pending hearing. Yun lang ang intention namin kasi kung mayaman ka and you go to jail, that is enough punishment kahit na hindi permanent, so you have to teach us how to document, embody it in the law, para magkaroon tayo ng economic sabotage,” she said.
(The intent is for them to go to jail pending a hearing. That is our intention because if you are rich and you go to jail, that is enough punishment even if it is not permanent, so you have to teach us how to document and embody it in the law so that we can have that economic sabotage.)
“That’s why we’re amending, because it’s a failure,” she added in a mix of English and Filipino.
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