DA Chief Denies Hand in Garlic Cartel

Amidst allegations that garlic importers have the “blessing” of the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief so they could be issued import permits or quarantine clearances, Secretary Proceso Alcala denies having exerted any influence to favor any business interests of selected individuals or groups.

Alcala said that if the accusations against him have sufficient bases, then he would have been one of the persons who now face criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.

On Wednesday, NBI charged before the Office of the Ombudsman more than 100 people bribery and violation of the Anti-Graft Law, among other cases. The accused, including former Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) director Clarito Barron, were said to be have colluded for cornering at least 75 percent of the total garlic importation in the country by virtue of BPI import permits, resulting to a “garlic cartel” and steep increase in prices last year.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima already said that there is insufficient evidence gathered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Secretary Alcala’s participation on the said matter.

“Even without NBI’s report that I have no sufficient connection with what are accused of me, I am confident [I am innocent] because I have no involvement in this,” Alcala stressed.

Alcala emphasized that he has never talked with Secretary De Lima regarding the case as he does not see it fitting for him to talk about personal concerns with her.

“Whatever she says are from her personal observation on the independent investigation,” Alcala said.

Garlic importer Lilybeth Valenzuela, in a sworn statement claimed that Barron told her and other importers that they could only get importation permits if they have Alcala’s “blessing.”

“It is her opinion but she has to prove that. If she can’t, time will come that I will get back to her [in court]. I will not tolerate these accusations that damage my reputation,” Alcala told reporters.

BPI Director and concurrent DA Assistant Secretary for Regulations Paz Benavides said that applications for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance are approved by the BPI Director and does not require the approval from the DA Secretary.

Alcala explained that when the prices of garlic spiked last year, DA and BPI assessed the processes in the issuance of import permits, looking into human error or favoritism in the system.

“From there, we endorsed that the application for SPS import clearance be made online. With this system, there is no longer human intervention,” Alcala said.

DA Undersecretary for Operations and Spokesperson Emerson Palad meanwhile said that the investigation is an opportunity to finally address the problem and to fully implement the reforms that DA has introduced to protect the local garlic industry against unfair trade practices.

“The department will not condone any activity that runs counter to the principles of good and faithful governance,” Palad said.

Palad added that under Secretary Alcala’s leadership, DA has continued to assert greater transparency and efficiency in the delivery of services at the BPI, notably in the issuance of quarantine clearances. He cited as example the fresh set of guidelines for the quarantine clearances DA and BPI released in July 2014 after the abrupt price increase.

“The Secretary has warned our colleagues in the Department and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector that we will never tolerate shenanigans from prevailing over the good interest of the government,” Palad said.

Alcala said that DA will respect the findings and procedures of the DOJ, NBI and the Office of the Ombudsman in these cases.

Source: www.da.gov.ph