Senators Question Accountability in Major Agricultural Smuggling Case

During a Senate investigation on Monday, lawmakers challenged the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) over their inability to apprehend the key figures responsible for a massive agricultural smuggling operation that involved 14 container vans of illicit vegetables and frozen fish.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, confronted Dexter Juala, the registered owner of EPCB Consumer Goods Trading—the consignee linked to the seized shipments from July. Pangilinan emphasized the scale of the problem and the lack of legal repercussions, stating, "Similar to corruption in flood control projects, billions of pesos are stolen due to smuggling. Yet, no smugglers have been locked up so far."

Highlighting further frustration, he added, "Trillions of pesos worth of smuggled goods have been confiscated, but we have yet to convict a single smuggler. It is truly shameful for all of us."

Juala appeared visibly uneasy during the hearing and insisted he was not involved in the illegal importation, attributing the registration to his uncle, whom he named as Erwin Pascual. "My uncle took my ID and registered at the pier," he explained.

Senator Erwin Tulfo, recalling his past exposure of irregularities within the BOC, argued that Juala and other witnesses were mere frontmen. "He is just a food delivery rider. How can anyone credibly accept that he owns these shipments?" Tulfo questioned.

He called for a subpoena of Pascual, asserting, "The owner of EPCB is Mr. Erwin Pascual, not this poor rider. The problem is these brokers are not really the true owners."

The inquiry highlights ongoing challenges in combating agricultural smuggling and questions the effectiveness of enforcement agencies in dismantling complex criminal networks.