MANILA — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said politicians and government officials may be financing and backing large-scale agricultural smuggling in the country.

Speaking on a morning news show, Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, questioned how ordinary Filipinos are being implicated in import firms involved in multibillion-peso rice shipments.

“Yun ang sinabi ko at katanungan ko, kasi sino ba naman ang makakapag import ng bilyon-bilyon, ‘di ba? Yung mga financier,” he said, noting that a jeepney driver, Warren Lumbang, was listed as corporate secretary of a rice import firm that brought in P7 billion worth of rice.

Lumbang’s wife, Raizza Lumbang, who had been unemployed for years and previously worked in a factory, was also named in the company documents.

“I compared it sa flood control. Mayroong kasabwat na sa gobyerno, mayroong financier na mga contractor, diba private sector, mayroong — posible — mga politiko o mga matataas na opisyal ng gobyerno,” Pangilinan said.

The senator held another committee hearing on agricultural smuggling on Feb. 10. In an earlier hearing, he disclosed that a FoodPanda delivery rider was used as a dummy owner of an import company by his uncle.

Pangilinan said some importers use dummy accounts to evade accountability for bringing in smuggled agricultural products, including goods unfit for human consumption.

He also noted that no alleged big-time smuggler has been arrested and jailed under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which classifies the smuggling of agricultural products valued at over ₱10 million as a non-bailable offense.

“At under the Anti-Economic Sabotage Law, ang pagbubuo ng mga dummy corporation, para mag import at abusuhin, ang proseso ng pag-iimport ng agri products ay non-bailable offense of economic sabotage,” he said.

Pangilinan vowed to hold further hearings to identify the financiers behind the alleged smuggling operations and expressed hope that some individuals involved would turn state witnesses.