SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson raised concerns over onion imports and inconsistent government data, warning that these problems are worsening the situation of local farmers.

Lacson criticized the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Statistics Authority for conflicting figures on onion production and consumption, saying these discrepancies prevent authorities from making sound policy decisions.

“Paano tayo magkaroon ng magandang decision kung di kayo magkasundo (How can we arrive at effective decisions if your data is disjointed)?” he said during a Senate hearing tackling the decline in onion farm-gate prices.

“Napakaimportante na kumpleto at accurate ang data para kung magpaplano tayo. Maski sa military operations, kung mali ang assumption, debacle – patay ang lahat na sundalo (It is very important that your data is complete and accurate so we can plan properly. In military operations, if the assumptions are wrong, the soldiers get killed and we experience a debacle),” he added.

Data presented at the hearing showed that the PSA estimated onion production in 2025 at 308,660 metric tons, which Lacson said could indicate a surplus of around 13,000 metric tons.

However, he noted that onion imports reached 94,000 metric tons in the same year, and could climb to as much as 150,000 metric tons when accounting for smuggling and leakages.

In contrast, Lacson cited Department of Agriculture data showing production of 245,988 metric tons from Regions 1, 2, 3, and Mimaropa, which he said points to a deficit of 22,035 metric tons.

“Ganyan magkalayo ang inyong datos. Paano tayo magkaroon ng magandang decision kung hindi kayo magkasundo (That’s how big the difference in your data is. How can we make effective decisions if your data is that disjointed)?” he said.

Lacson also questioned what he described as excessive importation, noting that last year’s import volume exceeded the projected supply gap. He further pointed to a disconnect between the agriculture department and stakeholders.

“It seems the communication gap is very wide. Napakalawak ng communication gap between stakeholders and the DA. Kinokonsulta ba kayo ng DA? How often? Kino-consult pero di kayo pinapakinggan (It seems the communication gap between the DA and stakeholders is very wide. Are stakeholders being consulted by the DA? How often? Or if they are consulted, are the stakeholders being heard)?” he said.

“Kahit weekly (ang consultations) pero kung hindi kayo pinapakinggan, useless ang consultations (Even if your consultations are held weekly but the DA does not listen to the stakeholders, the consultations are useless),” he added.

The senator also criticized the agency’s response to reports from onion farmers in Occidental Mindoro, particularly in Magsaysay town, where a farmer said 40 percent of their 26,000 metric tons of produce remained unsold and may be discarded.

“Ngayon nyo lang ba narinig ito, ang problemang yan? Di ba dapat minomonitor nyo yan? Kung ganito ang klaseng officials ng gobyerno natin, talagang walang mangyayari sa agriculture sector natin (Did you learn of this only now? Aren’t you supposed to monitor the situation? If your officials are like this, nothing good will happen to the agriculture sector),” Lacson asked.

He also noted that while the DA has indicated plans to address procurement issues, there is no allocated budget for onion purchases in 2026, unlike the P9-billion allocation for palay. He added that funds could still be realigned by the President if necessary.

“May pondo sa palay, P9 billion; sa onion growers wala … Why make public pronouncements, bibigyan nyo false hopes ang onion growers (The 2026 budget has a P9-billion fund for palay procurement but none for onions. Why make public pronouncements and give false hopes to our onion growers)?” he said.

“It’s a matter of coordinating with each other and consulting with stakeholders, which you are not doing,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lacson also raised concerns over alleged revenue losses linked to trade discrepancies with China.

He said the Philippines may have lost at least P267.13 billion in foregone taxes in 2023 due to possible smuggling and trade leakages. Citing data from the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solutions, he pointed to inconsistencies between Philippine import records and Chinese export data.

“Anong ibig sabihin noon? Smuggling. Underdeclared, misdeclared or not declared (What does it mean? Smuggling – underdeclared, misdeclared or not declared),” he said.

“P143.82 billion. Yan ang leakage sa ating dapat makolektang buwis (That is the leakage in the taxes we are supposed to collect),” he added, addressing officials from the Bureau of Customs.

He also cited discrepancies in export records, which he said could translate to P123.31 billion in foregone income taxes.

“Dinadaya naman dito ang income tax. Di tayo tina-tax sa export (We are being cheated out of income tax because we are not being taxed for exports),” he said.