THE Department of Justice (DoJ) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to combat smuggling of agricultural and fishery products, the Office of the Ombudsman said on Monday.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla attended the ceremonial signing of the agreement as witness, which was signed at the DoJ’s office in Manila on Monday by Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida, BoC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, and NBI Director Melvin A. Matibag.
The agreement aims to strengthen the collaboration between the three agencies in terms of intelligence sharing, case build-up, criminal investigation support, referral, evidence evaluation, preliminary investigation, prosecution, and prosecution support involving suspected agricultural and fishery product smuggling.
A technical working group will also be established to develop and implement coordination guidelines, referral mechanisms, information-sharing protocols, and other necessary measures to ensure the effective and sustained implementation of the partnership.
“We cannot have one agency holding one piece of information, another agency holding another, and expect government to see the entire picture,” Mr. Remulla said in a statement.
“We have to connect the dots. We have to share information. And we have to build cases that will stand in court. Agricultural Economic Sabotage is a serious crime,” he added.
Mr. Remulla said he may make recommendations to improve processes to eliminate red tape and ensure government efficiency, emphasizing that the Office of the Ombudsman will continue to run after government officials who might be involved in agricultural and fishery product smuggling.
In a separate statement, Mr. Nepomuceno said the partnership will strengthen the government’s fight against agricultural smuggling by bringing together the enforcement, investigative, and legal expertise of the BoC, NBI, and the DoJ.
The BoC said 15 complaints involving 20 respondents for alleged violations of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act have been endorsed to the DoJ for appropriate action to date.
The BoC has also filed 30 agriculture-related cases under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act involving 127 respondents since 2025. – Marron Joshua F. Mendoza