The British Chamber welcomes the House of Representatives passage of the amendments on the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law. House Bill No. 9284 will introduce stringent measures and penalties that target smugglers and hoarders to safeguard the Philippine agricultural sector.
Chris Nelson, British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) Executive Director/Trustee has consistently voiced its support and emphasized the bill’s importance in addressing the rising cost of goods and shortages that also affect the global supply chain. In a recent interview on Monday, Nelson discussed how its passage will pave the way for sustaining the UK-PH all-time high trade relations, marking a £2.6 billion in trade of goods and services last year.
“We strongly support enhancing the food supply, food security, and also combating inflation…We’re really hopeful that it has been noted as a priority bill and that it also supports the agricultural sector which we have a lot of interest in,” he added, also noting the support of the Senate with the amendments and other priority bills.
The said act seeks to declare smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, cartelizing as economic sabotage, imposing stricter penalties that aims to protect the Philippine market as well as the consumers. Nelson also emphasized on the positive impact in the country’s agricultural sector as a key factor towards a stronger UK-PH trade relations. The British Chamber sees its passage as a vital step towards achieving food security, ease the rising costs of goods, and a sustainable economy.