AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV called on the government on Thursday to crack down on smuggling, which he described as an “ongoing scandal” that needed to be addressed immediately.
Aquino, chairman of the committee on trade and cousin of President Benigno Aquino III, warned that many businesses would close shop and thousands of workers would lose their livelihood if the government fails to curb smuggling.
“The government should launch a serious and aggressive drive against smuggling because it is a big threat to legitimate businesses in the country,” he said in a statement.
The senator specifically pointed to recent reports that the government lost P1.33 trillion from 2002 to 2011 or P133 billion a year in revenues due to smuggling in different ports all over the country.
“If the people were indignant over the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam because at least 10 billion was taken away from the people’s money, the amounts we’re losing to smuggling are over ten times that amount. Smuggling is an ongoing scandal that needs to be addressed urgently,” he said.
Senator Aquino was referring to the P10 billion PDAF or “pork barrel” scam allegedly perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and involving some senators congressmen and other government officials.
Many businessmen, majority of them from the agriculture sector, he said, have been weighed down by losses due to smuggling. This was also a deterrent, the senator said, for many investors who would otherwise be interested to invest in the Philippines.
“The never-ending issue on smuggling sends a negative signal to potential investors. Mahirap magpasok ng mga bagong negosyo at trabaho sa bansa kung tingin ng mga investor ay mahina tayo laban sa smuggling,” he said.
He then called on the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to work more closely together and intensify their campaign against the illegal entry of goods into the country.
In return, the senator extended his cooperation and support to other government agencies working to curb smuggling in the Philippines.
“There is no ‘magic bullet’ to solve smuggling but if there is a tighter convergence of efforts, especially for our law enforcement agencies, we can end this menace to protect and strengthen our local industries and livelihood,” he said.
Senator Aquino also batted for the modernization of the Bureau of Customs, which he said could help curb smuggling.
“It’s about time that we modernize our systems to streamline the process that will eventually eradicate corruption and smuggling,” he further said.
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