Pangilinan cites similarities between Pogos, agri smuggling schemes

Sen. Francis `Kiko’ Pangilinan. Photo from Kiko Pangilinan Facebook page.

MANILA, Philippines — An ongoing investigation by the Senate into the smuggling of agricultural products has exposed an alleged collusion among Chinese syndicates, local businessmen, and government officials similar to that of Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogos).

At the resumption of the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform’s probe on Monday, its Chairman, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, noted the similarities between the smuggling of agricultural products and Pogos, which were already banned in the country since 2024.

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“The big picture is coming together: just like in the Pogos, one of the key leaders of the powerful agricultural smuggling syndicate is from China,” Pangilinan, speaking in Filipino, said in his opening statement.

“Just like in the case of POGOs, there are Filipino accomplices. And most likely, the imported frozen fish was originally caught in our own waters — in the West Philippine Sea. Our fish are being stolen and sold back to us,” he added.

He cited as an example the P68 million worth of smuggled frozen mackerel from China, which was initially declared as P40 million worth of chicken poppers.

Similar to Pogos, the bureaucracy is also being corrupted by exporters of agricultural products who all appeared to be coming from China, Pangilinan lamented.

“Those who were caught, and the companies whose goods were seized, involved Chinese nationals,” he pointed out.

Pangilinan then later said there is now “sufficient circumstantial evidence” to believe that “Chinese smuggling syndicates” have been conniving not only with local businessmen but even with erring employees and officials in the Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Department of Agriculture, and even in the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration.

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With the help of erring government officials, he said, Chinese smugglers and their local partners were able to operate freely as law enforcers, “occasionally raiding and seizing smuggled agri products to show a semblance of law enforcement.”

Up to now, however, the senator noted that no big-time smuggler has been charged with the non-bailable offense of economic sabotage. /mr