MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is not in favor of legalizing smuggling to resolve the rice crisis in the Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (Zambasulta) region.
Legalizing rice smuggling will destroy the economy, Duterte told the press in a short news conference before leaving for a three-day official visit to Israel on Sunday.
“The smuggling itself? No, of course not. That would be destructive to the economy. You’d put down the market in turmoil and that would promote disorder in this country,” he said.
Agriculture secretary Manny Piñol said last week that he will propose to Duterte that rice smuggling be “legalized.”
“Those smuggled rice have not paid any access or tariff or whatever so they are confiscated … and maybe I shall distribute it for free or go down to the last prices prevailing in the market,” Duterte said.
The President also warned rice traders who hoard supply that he could have their warehouses searched.
“I am just warning the traders, lalo na ’pag (dating) sa tiyan ng Filipino, do not force me to resort to emergency measures,” he said. “I will not allow Filipinos to be hungry. I will ask the military to raid your warehouses.”
According to Piñol, the Zambasulta region has been relying on rice smuggling but this was stopped after Duterte met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in July.
“Kasi traditional sa kanila iyong umasa ng bigas sa kabila. So, sabi ko, rather than allow smuggling, an illegal activity, to continue, we might as well legalize it,” Piñol had said.
Zamboanga City and Basilan were placed under a state of calamity as rice prices went up to as high as P70 to P80 per kilo./PN
