Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country is “forced to import” agricultural products such as onions and sugar due to smuggling and insufficient local production.
“Papaano naman hindi tayo kailangan mag-import? Tingnan mo ‘yung production ng Pilipinas, tingnan mo ‘yung demand, malayo talaga. Sinubukan natin na makuha lahat ng mga smuggled, pero kulang pa rin kasi hindi rin natin nagamit ‘yung smuggled. So talagang we are forced to import,” Marcos told reporters on Sunday.
[Translation: Why do we need to import? Look at the production of the Philippines, look at the demand, the difference is big. We tried to get all the smuggled goods, but it’s still not enough because we can’t use the smuggled. So we really are forced to import.]
The chief executive emphasized the importance of combating smuggling, which he described as “rampant” throughout the country and not just in the agriculture sector.
Marcos said his administration has “some very good ideas” on curbing smuggling, including looking at the strategies of other countries and digitalizing the operations of the Bureau of Customs, which is tasked to prevent smuggling.
He also stressed that local production is the critical aspect that needs to be addressed as he highlighted the need to assist producers of staple crops.
“We have to go back to the sugar industry. We have to go back to the onion growers and help them para magkaroon tayo ng production, hindi na tayo kailangan mag-import. Diyan tayo naipit eh. Nasanay tayo masyado sa import. So import lang tayo nang import, hindi natin inaayos ‘yung production side,” he pointed out.
[Translation: We have to go back to the sugar industry. We have to go back to the onion growers and help them to boost production, so that we would no longer need to import anymore. That’s where we get stuck. We are too used to importation. So we don’t fix the production side.]
Marcos, who is also the Agriculture chief, reiterated that imports are one of the key causes of high inflation.
He also said he’s looking at appointing a “full-time” Agriculture secretary “when we have the systems in place.”
