TOBACCO farmers' groups urged the Congress to pass Senate Bill (SB) 2432, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address (SONA) to counter smuggling, which is harming local tobacco farmers.

The Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) and the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers Association and Cooperatives (Naftac) on Thursday called for Congress to already convene a Bicameral Conference Committee before July.

PTGA President Saturnino Distor emphasized the urgent necessity of passing the bill due to widespread smuggling, which not only affects the agricultural sector but also threatens local farmers and their dependents.

"We hope that Congress can finally have a Bicameral Conference Committee so it can be signed by President Marcos before his SONA. This is one of the priorities of his administration and a big help to our farmers," said Distor.

Naftac Chairman Bernard Vicente, meanwhile, said that the approval of SB 2432 would also help the government fulfill its pledge of "affordable agricultural goods and food self-sufficiency" for the Philippines.

"We believe the bill will help prevent the smuggling of agricultural products and will deter these criminals. Hopefully, the happy days of smugglers, hoarders, and cartels will soon be over," said Vicente.

Under the measure, the smuggling of rice and other agricultural products is categorized as "economic sabotage," a grave offense carrying a penalty of life imprisonment.

Additionally, perpetrators will face fines that are triple the value of the smuggled agricultural and fishery products, which the groups said would deter such illicit activities.

Data from the National Tobacco Administration showed that there are currently 2.2 million Filipinos who are financially dependent on tobacco, including more than 430,000 farmers, farm workers and their family members.

Citing reports from the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, the tobacco farmers said the Philippine government loses about P200 billion in revenue annually due to smuggling, with P30 billion attributed to smuggled cigarettes alone.

The PTGA and Naftac noted that, among the priority bills Congress is working to pass before President Marcos' third SONA, "only the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act will have a direct and lasting impact on Filipino farmers."

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