Manila: A Senate panel has cited a Bureau of Customs (BOC) official for contempt amid ongoing investigations into the smuggling of agricultural products. The official, Juan San Andres, who serves as the acting chief of assessment at the BOC-Port of Subic, was cited during a Senate hearing for allegedly providing false information to the committee on agriculture, food, and agrarian reform.
According to Philippines News Agency, the motion to cite San Andres in contempt was approved by the committee, following a proposal from Sen. Erwin Tulfo. The decision was supported by the committee chairman, Kiko Pangilinan, after Undersecretary Carlos Carag from the Department of Agriculture confirmed that an attempt was made to transport three containers consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading to a non-existent warehouse in Angat, Bulacan.
San Andres claimed that the operation to move the containers for a full physical examination was coordinated with the Department of Agriculture's Inspectorate and Enforcement (DAIE) unit. However, Carag refuted this claim, stating that the DAIE pursued several BOC personnel after discovering the containers had been released and later returned to the Port of Subic.
Further scrutiny came from Pangilinan, who questioned San Andres' account of the events, particularly regarding the issuance of a mission order and the decision to release the containers despite suspicions of smuggled goods. San Andres was unable to justify the initial release of the containers, which raised concerns over the integrity of the operations under his supervision.
Pangilinan highlighted that agricultural smuggling in the Philippines mirrors operations seen in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, implicating both Chinese nationals and certain Filipinos involved in food smuggling. He emphasized that agricultural smuggling poses a significant threat to national security, criticizing the government's insufficient response to the issue.
Statistics presented by Pangilinan indicated that only four out of 132 smuggling cases from 2021 to 2025 resulted in formal complaints filed with the Department of Justice. Moreover, 90 percent of the cases were stalled due to inadequate documentation from the BOC. In response, Pangilinan called for stricter enforcement of laws to address the ongoing problem of agricultural smuggling in the country.
