Yap bares pressure on DA over onion imports

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said his department is being pressured by unnamed individuals into issuing permits for the importation of onions, particularly from China.

Yap made the revelation yesterday in the weekly radio program “Para sa Iyo Bayan” of Vice President Noli de Castro. Yap gave no details on how the alleged pressures were made or how serious they were.

Yap said the DA did not authorize the importation of onions in October, November and December and during the past two weeks.

“We never issued import permits for onions in the last two weeks and all throughout October, November and December. That’s why even if we’re being pressured we will not issue permits,” he said.

Although he did not identify the culprits, he said he has a list of individuals who want imported onions mostly from China to flood the local market.

Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, in the same radio program, said China has assured the Philippines of its cooperation in stopping the smuggling of Chinese products.

Favila said his counterpart, Chinese Trade Minister Bo Xi Lai, sought the Philippines’ cooperation in pinpointing the regions in China where most of the smuggled goods seized by the Bureau of Customs originated so the culprits could be identified and punished. – Pia Lee-Brago