Former plant industry head denies garlic cartel raps

MANILA, Philippines - A former Bureau of Plant Industry director believes the broker implicating him in garlic smuggling has “an ax to grind” after the BPI rejected her lobbying last year for the entry of 500 kilos of fresh strawberries from the United States.

Clarito Barron has denied the allegations of Lilybeth Valenzuela that he was involved in the alleged garlic smuggling cartel.

Valenzuela’s allegations were the basis for the filing of criminal charges against Barron before the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The alleged cartel caused garlic prices to soar last year. The prices remain high.

Barron said Valenzuela was contesting the stringent BPI inspection of incoming imported fruits and vegetables.

Last May 28, BPI plant quarantine service agriculturist Lolita Marajas refused to sign a permit for imported strawberries that Valenzuela was allegedly lobbying for, he added.

Barron said the importer refused to allow the required inspection upon arrival of the berries that New South Pacific Ocean Trading Co. had imported, demanding to see the order for inspection.

New South Pacific subsequently replaced Valenzuela as its representative following the incident, he said.

Barron said it is not true that Valenzuela is a registered and legitimate accredited importer, being the president of the Philippine Vegetable and Importer Exporter Association (PVIEA).

“PVIEA is not among the BPI listed and accredited importers of garlic,” he said.

“In truth, Ms. Valenzuela has never been an accredited importer because she is a mere broker of the importers which she serves. For added information, Ms. Valenzuela was blacklisted for smuggling vegetables such as carrots, onions and garlic, according to the blacklisted companies of the BoC in 2012 and 2013.”

Barron said BPI has no regulatory power on the pricing of garlic as that function belongs to other agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Under Presidential Decree 1433, the Philippine Plant Quarantine law, BPI is tasked to guard against the entry and spread of pests on plants in the country, he added.

Barron said BPI’s issuance of a plant quarantine clearance to accredited importer-applicants only means that the garlic they are importing does not contain pests.

“What the price of garlic would be or whether it would increase is not in our control because after the issuance of our agency of the plant quarantine clearance to the accredited importers, the Bureau of Customs is the one that determines whether the documents are complete,” he said.

Barron was one of 127 individuals charged over the alleged garlic cartel that manipulated supply and prices last year.

He is facing charges for direct bribery, profiteering and cartel under the Price Act, monopolies and restraint of trade under the Revised Penal Code, use of fictitious names and obstruction of justice.

Others charged were former BPI-Plant Quarantine Service chief Luben Marasigan, BPI-PQS officer-in-charge Merle Palacpac and businesswoman Lilia Cruz alias Lea Cruz, head of Vegetables Importers, Exporters and Vendors Association of the Philippines Inc. (VIEVA Phils.) and chairman of the National Garlic Action Team and National Onion Action Team.

BPI is under the Department of Agriculture, which issues the required Plant Quarantine Clearances and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Import Clearances for the importation of garlic.