Once again, President Marcos Jr. demonstrated his statesmanship and salesmanship skills during his five-day working visit to Japan. I am certain that China and the United States have closely monitored our bilateral discussions and agreements, particularly on Pacific regional security. Our country signed 35 letters of intent with the Japanese government and the private sector.
Congratulations, Mr. President, for bringing home $13 billion in pledges and contributions, which could translate to 24,000 jobs for Filipinos. These foreign direct investments, when they come to fruition, would spur growth in our trade, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digital, education and tourism sectors.
The cooperation also extends to defense, security and climate change issues. For constitutional reasons, however, I caution the government against entering into a Visiting Forces Agreement with Japan.
The absence of a bilateral defense treaty duly concurred in by the Philippine Senate disallows the presence of Japanese military troops and facilities in our territory.
In 2022, Japan was our third largest export trading partner, accounting for 14 percent of our total exports (Philippine Statistics Authority). Since 1966, the country has remained our top Official Development Assistance donor. Speaking from experience, I have faith that Japanese officials and businessmen would honor their pledges.
In fact, I have a partnership with a Japanese company that wants to invest in clean and renewable energy in the Philippines. Three projects related to solar and liquified natural gas are already in the pre-development stages. It means more employment opportunities for our kababayans. Wanting to fast-track the projects, the chief executive officer even scheduled a meeting with me in Tokyo because he thought I was part of PBBM’s official delegation. We will discuss the progress of our partnership next month.
So far, PBBM’s official trips to several countries have yielded $54 billion in investment pledges (SMNI News Channel). I support the President’s decision to cut back on foreign travel so that the government can thoroughly review and make the necessary follow-through on every signed agreement.
New Customs commissioner
The President has appointed Bienvenido Y. Rubio as the new Customs chief, taking over from Yogi Filemon Ruiz. I have known Mr. Ruiz since 2017 while he headed BoC security. I believe in his integrity. But why was he replaced?
In my view, it is related to the unsubstantiated rumor circulated by anti-government trolls and bitter ex-Marcos supporters that the President’s brother-in-law, Martin Araneta, is involved in onion smuggling. I believe that PBBM wants full transparency and impartiality relative to the ongoing legislative inquiries into the onion crisis. To address the issue at its core, the President has to appoint a new Customs chief.
While Commissioner Yogi has not been linked to criminal activities at BoC, he is subject to the command responsibility doctrine. Under Executive Order 226, a government official is presumed to have knowledge of widespread irregularities in his area of jurisdiction and can be charged administratively with neglect of duty.
My former colleagues in Congress informed me that the modus operandi of smugglers cum hoarders is to engage in bulk buying from onion farmers. They leave the crops to rot in warehouses to create an artificial supply shortage nationwide. They would then flood the market with overpriced imported onions. These are blatant acts of economic saboteurs. The country’s alleged “Onion Queen,” linked to hoarding activities for years, also gave her testimony before a House committee hearing. It is uncertain whether this individual would be charged in court or accepted as a state witness.
Thus, I reiterate my position that the next agriculture secretary should be someone who can stringently apply our penal laws in the agriculture sector. The full extent of the law shall be used against anyone who dares to smuggle and hoard agricultural products. A gentle reminder to PBBM, please choose a person who can bring back the fear in the hearts of these criminal elements.