BBM says officials smuggle rice, so why aren't they in prison?

GOTCHA

- JARIUS BONDOC

Government officials are behind rice smuggling, President Bongbong Marcos admitted Monday. So, who are they and why aren't they in prison?

Rice smuggling is nonbailable, punishable with life imprisonment and fine of five times the contraband value. Same with rice hoarding, profiteering, cartelizing, dummying. All five are acts of economic sabotage.

BBM signed the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act on Sept. 26, 2024. He chairs the enforcement council. It includes the Depts. of Agriculture, Justice, Finance, Interior and Local Government, Transportation, Trade and Industry, Anti-Money Laundering Council and Philippine Competition Commission.

BBM disclosed the involvement of government officials in rice racketeering in his BBM Podcast, Episode 1, May 19: "Ang opisyales ay spoiled. Basta import lang nang import. Tapos, 'yong importation ay illegal and legal. Nakita namin na ang pang-kontrol sa presyo ay ang smuggled na bigas. Kaya nagho-hoard.

"Isa sa una naming ginawa ay nag-raid ng warehouses. Ito ang pinakamalupit, bakit may ganito? Hindi na iniintindi, basta't puro import.

"Dahil ang nag-i-ismuggle mga opisyal din ng gobyerno.

"Kumikita sila. O 'di bakit nila papalitan? Sige, pasok lang sila nang pasok.

"Hindi nila iniintindi ang production. Hindi nila iniintindi 'yong sistema. Hindi nila iniintindi ang presyo ng palay, ang presyo ng bigas, ang kikitain ng magsasaka."

So again, why has no bureaucrat been charged?

Why has only a Chinese-Filipino couple, Tianding Cai and Maria Theresa Cai of Pacific Sealand Foods, been indicted on Dec. 14 for trafficking 21 cargo containers of frozen mackerel from China on Sept. 28?