Senate ratifies bill making agricultural smuggling non-bailable

MANILA, Philippines —  The Senate has ratified the bicameral conference version of the bill that seeks to make agricultural smuggling a non-bailable offense, according to the principal author Sen. JV Ejercito.

This means the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Bill now needs only the signature of President Marcos to become a law, Ejercito said. The bill is a priority measure.

The Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the measure Wednesday night before the sine die adjournment.

The bill aims to repeal Republic Act 10845, or the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act,” and introduce harsher penalties for smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and forming cartels for agricultural and fishery products.

Ejercito said the measure would level the playing field for local farmers as it “will purge our land of profiteers, hoarders, and cartels.”

“They are the pests who are choking our agricultural sector. This bill will uproot them and put them in jail, where they belong,” he said.

Ejercito lauded Sen. Cynthia Villar for her efforts in helping pass the bill in the Senate.

Meanwhile, in another development seen to lower the prices of agriculture produce, trucks carrying farm goods will be exempted from toll hikes beginning June 1. The arrangement is part of toll operators’ contribution to government’s push to bring down logistics costs and reduce consumer prices.

Toll road operators will provide cost relief to trucks carrying farm goods through the Agri-Trucks Toll Rebate Program, wherein truckers will receive rebates for toll increases dating back to June 2023.

The rebate will cover all truckers registered with the Food Lane Accreditation Project, managed by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Aside from being included in the DA list, truckers must register RFID accounts with Autosweep and Easytrip to enjoy the rebate. Autosweep serves as the RFID for expressways operated by San Miguel Corp. (SMC), while Easytrip is for tollways handled by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC).

SMC and MPTC will generate weekly report of toll passages of agricultural trucks. The concessionaires will later return the toll increases collected from truckers during the week.

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