Poultry raisers cry foul over smuggling
PHILIPPINES - Local poultry growers are raising a howl against the seeming incompetence of the government to run after those who smuggled poultry products into the country, thereby adversely affecting them.At the regular session of the City Council on recently, Councilor Alvin Calingin took the cudgels in airing the sentiments of local poultry raisers who, he said, are incurring big losses due to prevalent smuggling of chickens.
"I was informed that Cagayan de Oro recently has become the entry (point) of all these smuggled poultry products to the prejudice of the legitimate poultry producers and raisers...as a matter of fact, because of the entry of these smuggled poultry products, the poultry industry in the city has suffered so much," the councilor said.
Calingin said the reason for the prevalent smuggling of poultry products is that some Customs officials are allegedly in cahoots with the smugglers, per allegations of the local poultry raisers.
"The information given to me is that some high ranking officials of the government agencies concerned that is supposed to stop this kind of illegitimate business-smuggling - is itself a privy to this kind of irregularity...I'm referring in particular to high ranking officials of the Bureau of Customs...either they are not doing anything about it or they themselves actively promoting the smuggling in the city," Calingin pointed out.
Source: sunstar.com.ph
15 June 2005
1 minute read
