Tag: Department of Agriculture

Statements

Ping: Bakit Nagkulang ang DA sa Pagtulong sa mga Bayang Apektado ng ASF sa Cotabato?

Bakit nagkukulang ang Department of Agriculture sa pagtulong sa mga komunidad na apektado ng African Swine Fever (ASF) sa bayan ng Mlang sa Cotabato?

Tanong ito ni Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson sa DA nitong Lunes matapos nilang malaman at masaksihan ni Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III ang sitwasyon sa lugar nitong buwan.

“Ang nag-abono, local government unit, in the amount of P10.7 million. Magkano ang pondo ng DA sa ASF? Narito rin ang hog raisers, they will benefit to find out from DA anong nangyari sa funding sa ASF,” ani Lacson sa pagdinig ng Senate Committee of the Whole hinggil sa agricultural smuggling at sa iba pang isyu sa sektor ng agrikultura.

Related: Lacson: Why Was DA Help Lacking for ASF-Affected Communities in Cotabato Town?
Continue reading “Ping: Bakit Nagkulang ang DA sa Pagtulong sa mga Bayang Apektado ng ASF sa Cotabato?” →

Hearings/Investigations, Statements

Lacson: Why Was DA Help Lacking for ASF-Affected Communities in Cotabato Town?

Why was the Department of Agriculture lacking in its help for communities affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) in Mlang town in Cotabato?

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson raised this question Monday after he and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III learned of the situation firsthand earlier this month.

“Ang nag-abono, local government unit, in the amount of P10.7 million. Magkano ang pondo ng DA sa ASF? Narito rin ang hog raisers, they will benefit to find out from DA anong nangyari sa funding sa ASF (LGUs had to shell out money to assist the affected hog raisers, amounting to P10.7 million How much in funds does the DA have to address ASF? Hog raisers will benefit if they find out what happened),” Lacson said at the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on continued smuggling and other issues affecting agricultural products.

Related: Ping: Bakit Nagkulang ang DA sa Pagtulong sa mga Bayang Apektado ng ASF sa Cotabato?
Continue reading “Lacson: Why Was DA Help Lacking for ASF-Affected Communities in Cotabato Town?” →

Statements

Lacson: DA’s Plan to Import Galunggong Threatens to ‘Kill’ Our Fishermen

With its decision to import some 60,000 metric tons of fishes such as galunggong and mackerel, the Department of Agriculture may well be “killing” our fishermen.

On this note, Partido Reporma Chairman and standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson questioned the need to import fish when our waters are full of such natural resources.

“Import pa more! After killing our farmers by importing vegetables and fruits, it is the turn of our fishermen to die,” he said on his Twitter account Wednesday.

Continue reading “Lacson: DA’s Plan to Import Galunggong Threatens to ‘Kill’ Our Fishermen” →

Statements

On the President’s ‘Appeal’ to Senators to Give EO 128 a Chance
President Duterte’s Executive Order 128

First, the Senate has no choice since the reduced tariff rates and the increased in-quota MAV have already taken effect.

Second, kung meron lang sanang nangyaring inter-departmental courtesy consultation, since EO 128 is a consequence of a delegated authority granted by Congress to the President anyway, we could have given our input based on our own consultations and research.

For example, the National Economic and Development Authority’s conclusion that demand for pork has not changed in spite of the pandemic is flawed. As I had pointed out during the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing, the 50% contraction registered by the hotel and restaurant operations should easily affect demand since the pre-pandemic 8.2 million foreign tourists are now eating pork somewhere else outside the country. Thus, at 15 kilograms of pork consumption per capita as estimated would mean 120 million kilograms less pork. That should be substantial enough to consider when they came up with the 350,000,000 kilograms in additional in-quota MAV allocation.

That being said, the appeal might as well be directed toward the 80,000 backyard hog raisers, their families, farm hands and all others now being affected by the EO, both directly and indirectly.

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Radio, Statements

Ping: Mga Naagrabyado sa Talamak na Katiwalian sa DA, Maaring Mahikayat ng NPA

Hindi lamang ang kasiguruhan ng bansa sa pagkain ang nanganganib sa walang habas na katiwalian sa Department of Agriculture (DA) kundi pati na rin ang pambansang seguridad.

Ito ang nakikita ni Senador Panfilo Lacson matapos na mabunyag ang mga gawain tulad ng pagpupuslit papasok sa bansa ng mga pagkain at iba pang produktong agrikultura sa kabila ng produksiyon ng mga ito buhat sa mga lokal na magsasaka.

“There is nothing more basic than food, especially in a pandemic. If corruption infects the Department of Agriculture that should be at the forefront of food security efforts, it goes beyond human conscience. Wala na. Saan pa tayo pupulutin kung ang mga walang kaluluwa walang konsensya pati pagkain ng ordinaryong Pilipino di papatawarin?” mariing pahayag ni Lacson sa panayam sa kanya ng DZBB radio.

“May kumita na sa PPE, may kumita kung saan-saan, may kumita sa smuggling. Pati ba naman itong pagkain sa hapag-kainan, titirahin pa rin?” dismayadong pahayag ng senador.

Related: Lacson Warns: Corruption at DA Threatens Food Security, National Security
Continue reading “Ping: Mga Naagrabyado sa Talamak na Katiwalian sa DA, Maaring Mahikayat ng NPA” →

Radio, Statements

Lacson Warns: Corruption at DA Threatens Food Security, National Security

Mga walang kaluluwa, walang konsensya!

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson thus scored on Sunday those behind the corruption at the Department of Agriculture, who he said threaten not just the country’s food security but also national security.

“There is nothing more basic than food, especially in a pandemic. If corruption infects the Department of Agriculture that should be at the forefront of food security efforts, it goes beyond human conscience. Wala na. Saan pa tayo pupulutin kung ang mga walang kaluluwa walang konsensya pati pagkain ng ordinaryong Pilipino di papatawarin?” Lacson said in an interview on DZBB radio.

“May kumita na sa PPE, may kumita kung saan-saan, may kumita sa smuggling. Pati ba naman itong pagkain sa hapag-kainan, titirahin pa rin?” he added.

Related: Ping: Mga Naagrabyado sa Talamak na Katiwalian sa DA, Maaring Mahikayat ng NPA
Continue reading “Lacson Warns: Corruption at DA Threatens Food Security, National Security” →

Statements

Ping: Higit P1-B Nawawala Kada Taon sa ‘Smuggling’ ng Isda at Seafoods

Bukod sa baboy at manok, nawawalan ng bilyon-bilyong piso ang gobyerno kada taon dahil sa katiwalian sa pag-import ng isda at iba pang produktong dagat.

Isiniwalat ito ni Senador Panfilo Lacson sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig ng Senate Committee of the Whole tungkol sa iregularidad sa produktong agrikultura.

Kinwestyon ni Lacson ang malaking pagkakaiba sa datos ng World Trade Organization (WTO) at Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) tungkol sa pag-import ng isda at seafood mula 2015 hanggang 2020.

“The Department of Agriculture will have a lot of explaining to do. The discrepancies may mean there is a lot of misdeclaration, underdeclaration, or outright smuggling. There’s a pattern,” dugtong ng mambabatas.

Continue reading “Ping: Higit P1-B Nawawala Kada Taon sa ‘Smuggling’ ng Isda at Seafoods” →

Statements

Hindi lang Pork at Chicken! Lacson Bares P1.058B a Year Lost to ‘Smuggling’ of Fish, Seafood

Aside from pork and poultry, the government is also losing billions of pesos a year due to irregular practices involving the importation of fish and seafood products, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson bared Thursday.

Lacson questioned the huge discrepancies between the records of the World Trade Organization and the Philippine Statistics Authority in terms of fish and seafood importation from the top 15 exporting countries from 2015 to 2020.

“The Department of Agriculture will have a lot of explaining to do. The discrepancies may mean there is a lot of misdeclaration, underdeclaration, or outright smuggling. There’s a pattern,” he said at the second hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on irregularities involving agricultural products.

“It’s not just in pork and poultry products where there are irregularities. It cuts across practically all FSRAs (food safety regulatory agencies). What action has the DA taken? The bottom line is that we have lost so much revenues – some P1.058 billion yearly from 2015 to 2020 in foregone revenues on imported fish and seafoods alone on account of all these discrepancies,” he added.

Continue reading “Hindi lang Pork at Chicken! Lacson Bares P1.058B a Year Lost to ‘Smuggling’ of Fish, Seafood” →

Statements, Videos

Senate Committee of the Whole Hearing on Tongpats, Food Security and ASF

Mr. Senate President and Chairman of the Committee of the Whole,

I could not think of an act more cruel than beating to death somebody who is already dying. Such is the fate of our 80,000 local backyard hog raisers – sa kamay ng dapat sana ay ang kanilang pangunahing tagakalinga, ang Kagawaran ng Agrikultura, after their plea was ignored with the signing of Executive Order No. 128 series of 2021 last Wednesday.

Continue reading “Senate Committee of the Whole Hearing on Tongpats, Food Security and ASF” →

Documents, PingBills, Radio, Statements, Videos

Ping: Pagbusisi sa Pork Importation ‘Tong-pats,’ Pang-Committee of the Whole ang Level

Pinakamainam na Committee of the Whole ng Senado ang mag-imbestiga sa nagsisebong “tong-pats” sa importasyon ng karne ng baboy na paraan ng Department of Agriculture (DA) upang mapunan ang kawalan umano ng suplay bunga ng pananalasa ng African Swine Flu (ASF).

Ayon kay Senador Panfilo Lacson, maraming aspetong saklaw ang nabanggit na kontrobersiya kung kaya’t tama lamang na buong puwersa na ng Senado ang umungkat sa mga detalye nito.

“I am recommending that the Senate convene into a Committee of the Whole to handle the investigation. The ‘tong-pats’ mess has an impact on foregone revenue and corruption, food security, and health. The Committee of the Whole is best suited for this, instead of having the Blue Ribbon Committee and Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means and Health handle it separately,” paliwanag ni Lacson.

Masyado aniya na malawak ang problema para pangasiwaan lamang ng isa o ilang komite ng Senado ang pagsisiyasat.

Kabilang sa mga maaring masaklaw ay ang usapin sa food security, kaligtasan ng pagkain, ang nawalang koleksiyon ng pamahalaan at ang kalusugan ng publikong kumukunsumo sa mga ito.

Related: Lacson: Committee of the Whole Best Suited to Handle DA ‘Tong-pats’ Probe
Continue reading “Ping: Pagbusisi sa Pork Importation ‘Tong-pats,’ Pang-Committee of the Whole ang Level” →

Documents, PingBills, Radio, Statements, Videos

Lacson: Committee of the Whole Best Suited to Handle DA ‘Tong-pats’ Probe

Convening the Senate into the Committee of the Whole will be needed to tackle the wide scope of the problems involving the “tong-pats” mess at the Department of Agriculture, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said the issues stemming from the mess include food security and a revisiting of the Food Safety Act of 2013 (RA 10611); foregone revenues; and public health.

“I am recommending that the Senate convene into a Committee of the Whole to handle the investigation. The ‘tong-pats’ mess has an impact on foregone revenue and corruption, food security, and health. The Committee of the Whole is best suited for this, instead of having the Blue Ribbon Committee and Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means and Health handle it separately,” he said.

“My resolution seeking the investigation in aid of legislation may also seek to revisit Republic Act 10611, the Food Security Act of 2013, to address possible loopholes that are being exploited,” he added in an interview on DZXL radio. “Wide masyado ang problema, all-encompassing. Kaya mas maganda kung Committee of the Whole na lang ang hahawak.”

Related: Ping: Pagbusisi sa Pork Importation ‘Tong-pats,’ Pang-Committee of the Whole ang Level
Continue reading “Lacson: Committee of the Whole Best Suited to Handle DA ‘Tong-pats’ Probe” →

Documents, PingBills, Radio, Statements, Videos

Ping: Sebo ng ‘Tong-Pats’ sa Imported Baboy, Imbestigahan

Isinusulong ni Senador Panfilo Lacson ang malalimang imbestigasyon ng Senado sa isang sindikatong “tong-pats” sa loob ng Department of Agriculture, na makikinabang sa rekomendasyon ng ahensya na ibaba ang taripa at taasan ang minimum access volume (MAV) ng imported na baboy dahil sa African Swine Fever (ASF).

Ito ay makaraang makarating sa kaalaman ng mambabatas ang impormasyong limpak-limpak ang “tong-pats” na nakokolekta ng ilang mapagsamantalang nasa gobyerno, habang malalagay sa alanganin o tuluyan nang pagkamatay ang lokal na industriya ng babuyan sa bansa, bukod pa sa malaking halagang nawawala sa ekonomiya at manganganib ang kalusugan ng publiko.

“We should unmask who is/are behind this scheme no matter how powerful and influential he may be with this administration. I want to see even a whiff of enthusiasm from the President to order the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and other concerned agencies to investigate, not to mention heed the call of the Senate to disapprove the DA’s recommendation to reduce the tariff and increase the volume of pork importation. Let’s see,” mariing pahayag ni Lacson.

Nakipag-ugnayan na rin ang mambabatas sa pamunuan ng Mataas na Kapulungan kaugnay sa kanyang hangarin.

“I have talked to Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III to have the Senate look into this, so we can get the documents we need. So far, we have received documents from the Bureau of Customs and DA. Still, we need more data to get to the bottom of the anomaly,” paliwanag ni Lacson sa panayam sa TeleRadyo.

Related: Lacson Pushes Senate Probe of ‘Tong-Pats’ Racket in Hog Importation
Continue reading “Ping: Sebo ng ‘Tong-Pats’ sa Imported Baboy, Imbestigahan” →

Documents, PingBills, Radio, Statements, Videos

Lacson Pushes Senate Probe of ‘Tong-Pats’ Racket in Hog Importation

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson pushed Tuesday for a Senate investigation into the activities of a syndicate within the Department of Agriculture that stands to gain billions of pesos in “tong-pats” from the DA’s recommendation to lower tariff rates on – and to increase the minimum access volume (MAV) of – imported pork products due to the severe impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) on the swine industry.

Lacson said the anomalies amount to a triple whammy that threatens to kill our local hog industry while raising health concerns and costing the government forgone revenues.

“We should unmask who is/are behind this scheme no matter how powerful and influential he may be with this administration. I want to see even a whiff of enthusiasm from the President to order the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and other concerned agencies to investigate, not to mention heed the call of the Senate to disapprove the DA’s recommendation to reduce the tariff and increase the volume of pork importation. Let’s see,” Lacson said.

“I have talked to Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III to have the Senate look into this, so we can get the documents we need. So far, we have received documents from the Bureau of Customs and DA. Still, we need more data to get to the bottom of the anomaly,” he added in an interview on TeleRadyo.

Related: Ping: Sebo ng ‘Tong-Pats’ sa Imported Baboy, Imbestigahan
Continue reading “Lacson Pushes Senate Probe of ‘Tong-Pats’ Racket in Hog Importation” →

Photos, Statements

At the Confirmation Hearing of DA Sec. William Dar

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At the Commission on Appointments’ confirmation hearing for DA Sec. William Dar, Sen. Lacson asked policy questions involving problems in the agricultural sector, including possible corruption in the distribution of defective farm equipment. “Without doubt, you are more than qualified and very competent to head this Department,” he told Sec. Dar before asking his questions.

“Apparently there is corruption involved. Without pointing fingers, if some officials of DA distributed equipment to farmers … (the equipment) were defective, with prices ranging from P300,000 to P1 million per unit. My question, ilan ang pulled out? Papa-repair pa ito? Will you run after the supplier?”

“Year in and year out, we will scrutinize the budget, and we hear of equipment gone to waste. Paki-submit sa amin sa January initial report and (ang full report) probably March or April.”

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Interpellation, Statements, Videos

#PingSays: Dapat Kasuhan! Sen. Lacson Wants DA to Charge Those Distributing Defective Farm Equipment to Farmers

During deliberations for the 2020 budget of the Department of Agriculture, Sen. Lacson urged the agency to pursue criminal charges against those behind the reported distribution of defective farm equipment to farmers.

“It’s really disgusting to see farmers suffering some more on account of not just mismanagement… Obviously may nakinabang dito… I would urge the good DA Sec William Dar not to stop at mere audit, but charges should be filed. Sino ba sa office in charge of procurement ng farm machinery?”

“To prevent a repetition of that anomaly, we should show these people the secretary means business, by going after them. Not just stop at auditing them but charges should be filed against those responsible. Kasi this is plain and simple criminal act. Ako I don’t want to believe di sinasadya yan. Kung 1-2 pwedeng hindi sinasadya pero kung commonplace at sira ang equipment mukhang may kumita nang malaki.”

In an interview after the interpellation, Sen. Lacson also said such actions should be a warning to those implementing the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, so they will ensure proper procurement and distribution of equipment.

“Warning din yan sa pag-implement ng RCEF (Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund) na tingnan nilang mabuti ang procurement at ang idi-distribute na equipment kung tama ba.”

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