Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the alleged “tongpats system” within the agency.
It will be recalled that Sen. Panfilo Lacson this week the alleged billion pesos worth of pork import corruption.
In the plenary session on Tuesday, Lacson said he found out from within the DA that someone collects “tongpats” ranging from P5 to P7 for every kilo of imported pork.
It is said that pork importers are able to provide this because they earn up to P44.64 per kilo of pork that they sell at P284 per kilo.
DA Undersecretary William Medrano told TeleRadyo on Thursday that the new panel will find out if there really is a “tongpats” and who is involved in it.
So far, he said, no additional pork imports and tariff reductions have been approved, which they have recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte to allegedly resolve the pork issue.
But Medrano said they don’t believe Lacson’s allegations.
DA creates fact-finding panel to probe alleged ‘tongpats system’
“Kami po ay naniniwala na wala naman pong ganyang ‘tongpats system’ sa DA… Nasabi rin ni Sen. Lacson matagal na raw ito. Kami po ay bago lamang sa DA, at first time namin narinig na mayroong ganyang ‘tongpats,'” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will investigate the alleged corruption in imported pork after Senator Panfilo Lacson revealed that some personnel of the Department of Agriculture charge additional P5 to P7 per kilo of imported pork.
“The PACC will investigate. In fact, we have already started the investigation last December 2020. The PACC issued a resolution to conduct a motu propio investigation on the alleged corruption in pork importation and will issue the corresponding subpoena,” PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica said in a text message.
Such “tongpats system,” Belgica said, should never be tolerated, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“Maling mali po yan. Pandemya na, pagnanakawan pa ang bayan. Pasensyahan po tayo (That would be very wrong. We are in a pandemic and yet the taxpayers’ money is being stolen),” Belgica said.
“The PACC will submit its report and recommendations to the President,” he added.