‘Unmask agricultural smuggling financiers, be a state witness’

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February 11, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Suspecting a conspiracy involving high-ranking officials, Sen. Francis Pangilinan yesterday urged resource persons in the ongoing agricultural smuggling inquiry to consider becoming state witnesses and unmask financiers behind multibillion-peso schemes.

Believing that the masterminds hold government positions, Pangilinan likened the smuggling probe to the flood control controversy, wherein former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo turned state witness.

At the Senate agriculture panel hearing, Pangilinan told witnesses, particularly Subic Port’s acting chief of Customs assessment Juan San Andres, that accomplices could be found in the government, private sector and among politicians, much like in the flood control scandal.

San Andres is currently detained after being cited in contempt last year for supposedly lying to the committee.

Pangilinan offered an executive session for witnesses willing to name persons involved, warning that the committee finds their current denials “incredible.”

Questionable deliveries

Pangilinan also grilled Joseph Yao, president of Arvin International Marketing Inc. and Renzy International Marketing Inc., about his dealings with entities like Atara Marketing, which allegedly delivered P8 billion worth of rice despite having questionable credentials.

Yao claimed that receiving deliveries from various entities, even those he did not personally know, were legitimate and was standard industry practice.

Pangilinan pointed out the absurdity of a legitimate businessman transacting billions with “dummy” companies.

The senator was referring to Raiza Lumbang, listed as corporate secretary of Atara Marketing in documents submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Despite the company paying P1.6 billion in duties and taxes, Lumbang denied any knowledge of the firm or signing any documents.

SEC counsel RJ Bernal admitted that the commission relies on the notary public to verify the identity of incorporators and does not independently validate the IDs of corporate officers during registration, a loophole Pangilinan flagged for enabling dummy corporations.

Meanwhile, Pangilinan has threatened to defer the budgets of the Bureau of Customs and Department of Agriculture if they fail to formalize a protocol for the disposal of confiscated agricultural products.

Based on reports, confiscated meat products, instead of being destroyed, were being “rendered” and fed to farm-raised fish such as catfish, raising food safety concerns.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Willie Ann Angsiy has confirmed that a draft joint memorandum circular is under review by food safety regulatory agencies.