Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, uncovered what he called a web of corruption linking the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to shady consignees and brokers involved in multimillion-peso agricultural smuggling.
At a hearing on Monday, Pangilinan grilled broker Lujin Ramos Tenero of 1024 Consumer Goods Trading, who admitted signing BOC import papers for P68 million worth of smuggled frozen mackerel misdeclared as chicken poppers.
Tenero, however, claimed he only knew the BOC contact as “Mr. Carlos” and refused to give further details.
Pangilinan warned he could cite Tenero in contempt for refusing to answer. He gave him three days to explain in writing why he should not be detained.
The senator decried the use of small-time individuals as scapegoats by big syndicates. He also flagged practices such as dummy companies, fake or expired broker licenses, and the misuse of legitimate brokers’ credentials.
“Hindi naman maglalakas ang loob ng mga ito kung walang nasa likod nila na kumakamada. Kamadang sindikato ito, maliwanag. Kamada ng malaking sindikato ang nangyari dito,” said Pangilinan, vowing to hold the real masterminds accountable.IMT
