BOC exec cited in contempt amid Senate probe on agri smuggling

By Leonel Abasola, Philippine News Agency

SENATE HEARING. Sen. Kiko Pangilinan presides over the Senate panel public hearing on agricultural smuggling on Wednesday (Dec. 3, 2025). During the hearing, Bureau of Customs-Port of Subic acting chief of assessment Juan San Andres was cited in contempt for lying to the panel. (Senate of the Philippines/facebook)

MANILA – A Senate panel on Wednesday cited in contempt a Bureau of Customs (BOC) official linked to the smuggling of agricultural products.

During the Senate hearing, the committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform approved the motion of Sen. Erwin Tulfo to cite BOC-Port of Subic acting chief of assessment Juan San Andres in contempt for lying to the panel.

“On the basis of the motion as well as the explanation of Mr. San Andres, together with the clarification from (Department of Agriculture Undersecretary) Carlos Carag, we second the motion: you are cited in contempt by this committee,” committee chairman Kiko Pangilinan said.

Tulfo flagged San Andres after Carag confirmed the attempt to bring the three containers of shipment consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading to a non-existent warehouse in Angat, Bulacan.

San Andres claimed the operation to bring the containers out of the Port of Subic for a 100 percent physical examination in the supposed Berches’ warehouse was done in coordination with the DA’s Inspectorate and Enforcement (DAIE) unit.

Carag denied this, saying the DAIE went after several BOC personnel after finding out that the containers were released from the port and was returned later at the Port of Subic.

Pangilinan questioned San Andres’ recollection of the events, particularly for the issuance of the mission order after he gave instructions to one of the BOC staff to join the under-guarding.

San Andres, however, failed to justify why the containers were released in the first place despite having possible smuggled agricultural products.

Pangilinan said agricultural smuggling in the Philippines operates much like the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, noting that it is controlled by several Chinese nationals and exporters, in connivance with certain Filipinos involved in food smuggling.

“Food security is a national security concern, and therefore, agricultural smuggling is a threat to our national security. Yet despite this threat, the government’s response has been extremely weak,” Pangilinan said.

He noted that only four out of 132 cases from 2021 to 2025 resulted in the filing of smuggling complaints with the Department of Justice.

Pangilinan also said 90 percent of the cases failed to progress due to insufficient documents from the BOC.

He called for stricter implementation of laws to curb the unabated agricultural smuggling in the country.