House ways and means committee chairman Joey Salceda on Tuesday directed the Department of Justice to utilize the National Bureau of Investigation in strongly prosecuting cases of large-scale smuggling of agricultural products.
(File photo) MANILA - The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday said smugglers of agricultural products should be prosecuted and held accountable to protect the country's farmers. During a House hearing, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to prosecute cases more strongly against large scale agricultural smuggling pursuant to Republic Act No. 10845, or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act. The law designates large-scale agricultural smuggling as "economic sabotage." "Large scale agricultural smuggling is the single gravest sin to Philippine society today. I am disappointed in the Department of Justice that it does not use the efforts of the NBI enough," Salceda said in response to an answer from the DOJ that it merely uses its own initiative to pursue cases from the Bureau of Customs (BOC). He said leaving the prosecutors to figure out these agricultural smuggling
The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to utilize the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to prosecute cases against large-scale agricultural smuggling. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda issued the statement during the regular panel meeting, adding that Republic Act No. 10845,…