PBBM, ipinag-utos ang imbestigasyon sa hoarding, smuggling at price fixing ng sibuyas

IPINAG- UTOS ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang masusing imbestigasyon ukol sa  smuggling ng sibuyas at iba pang agricultural products.

Tinawag ito ng Pangulo bilang “an act as being tantamount to economic sabotage.”

Sinabi ng Pangulo na “I have just given instructions to the DOJ and the NBI to initiate an investigation into the hoarding, smuggling (and) price fixing of agricultural commodities. And this is stemming from the hearing that we’ve conducted in the House, specifically by Congresswoman Stella Quimbo and the findings that they came up with.”

Sa isang Memorandum na isinumite sa Pangulo ni Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, pinangunahan ang  Committee on Agriculture and Food hearings sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso, sinabi nito na *substantial evidence has been uncovered pointing to the existence of an onion cartel as she shed light on the causes behind the surge in onion prices in 2022.

Aniya pa, ang  cartel, pangunahing nago-operate sa pamamagitan ng  Philippine VIEVA Group of Companies Inc. (PVGCI),  naugnay sa iba’t ibang aktibidad kabilang na ang “farming, importation, local trading, warehousing, at logistics.”

Binigyang diin ng Pangulo ang kahalagahan ng mga natuklasan  bilang “sufficient grounds” para simulan ang imbestigasyon, tinukoy ang pangangailangan na tugunan ang laki ng “economic sabotage.”

“And that is why we are going to be very, very strict about finding these people and making sure that they are brought to justice,” ayon sa Punong Ehekutibo.

“The hearings highlighted the sharp increase in onion prices starting in July 2022, attributed to a perceived shortage of supply. However, data from the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry revealed only a modest shortage of approximately 7.56 percent in 2022, which could not justify the significant inflation rates reaching 87 percent in December of that year,” ayon sa ulat.

Iniulat naman ni Quimbo rna ang pagtugon  sa cold storage facility owners sa nasabing oagdinig ay nagpapahiwatig din na sapat na suplay ng sibuyas sa panahon ng price surges.

“This led to the examination of an alternative explanation: cartel activity. The cartel allegedly engaged in price-fixing through manipulation of stocks, leveraging control over cold storage facilities,” ayon pa rin sa ulat.

Sa nasabing pagdinig, itinanggi ni  Lilia/Lea Cruz, kilala bilang  “Sibuyas Queen,” ang pagkakasangkot sa onion importation, aniya ang kanyang naging partisipasyon ay limitado lamang sa “trucking at assisting onion farmers. ”

Gayunman, sinabi ni Quimbo na ang ebidensya na ipinresenta sa pagdinig ay nagkumpirma sa  ” heavy involvement” ni Cruz sa   onion industry.

Si Cruz ayon kay Quimbo ay  “majority stockholder” ng  Philippine VIEVA Group of Companies, Inc. (PVGCI), itinalaga noong 2012. PVGCI, kasama ang iba pang major players sa   onion industry, ay isinasangkot sa  cartel operations, kabilang na ang koordinasyon ng  stock withdrawals at price-fixing sa iba’t ibang antas.

Ipinresenta ni Quimbo ang “Onion Matrix” na nagsasangkot sa ilang kompanya na sangkot  several companies engaged sa kalakalan at importasyon ng sibuyas at iba pang gulay  “acting in connivance with owners of cold storage facilities.”

“Isa sa inirekomendang aksyon ni  Quimbo para tugunan ang usapin  “effectively is the dismantling of the cartel with the help of the DOJ, the NBI and the Philippine Competition Commission. ” (Daris Jose)