MANILA — The cartel involved in the soaring prices of garlic in 2014 may be the same cartel possibly behind the recent skyrocketing prices of onion, a lawmaker investigating the matter said Thursday.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Rosanna Vergara, whose district includes top onion producer Bongabon town, said that "Mrs. Sibuyas" Lea Cruz had also appeared before Congress in 2014 amid allegations of smuggling garlic.
Vergara noted that in 2014, Cruz was involved in a garlic cartel, where she controlled 5,000 companies importing the said produce. This resulted in farmers no longer producing garlic.
"Dahil sa ginawa niyang iyon, wala nang mga magsasaka ng bawang ang gustong magtanim. In effect, iyong cartel na nangyari noon, pinatay nila ang industriya ng bawang sa ating bansa. Kaya sa kasalukuyan, wala na pong nagtatanim ng bawang dito, halos 95 to 97 percent na bawang natin ay imported," she said.
Nine years later, Cruz had 15 companies under her control that stored 128,000 bags of onions in Bulacan. But because of poor handling, the onions became spoiled.
One company she controlled, Yom Trading, was among the Philippines' top importers of onion in 2020 and 2021, Vergara said.
"Nakakalungkot talaga dahil ito na naman tayo, 9 years later, sibuyas naman ngayon ang pinag-iinitan ng mga cartel," she added.
"Nakakaawa po, dahil iyong pinapatay nila iyong mga maliliit na magsasaka. iyong hirap na sa buhay, mas pinahihirapan pa."
But in recent hearings, Cruz had repeatedly denied her involvement in the alleged onion cartel, saying that she only wanted to help farmers.
"Subalit noong nakaraang hearing, ang kanyang modus operandi... bumibili siya nang medyo mataas, pinapakyaw para tumahimik ang mga magsasaka, pero ang nangyayari hindi niya binabayaran agad-agad. Naka-installment pay siya. Kahit mataas ang bili niya, hindi rin nakukuha ng lahat ng magsasaka iyong presyo na sinasabi niya dahil late siya magbayad, at tumatalbog pa madalas ang tseke," Vergara said.
"Patuloy pa rin niyang pinagdidiin na siya'y tumutulong sa magsasaka, at pag maselan na iyong tanong, biglang nakakalimutan na niya, hindi na naalala. Halata po na hindi nagsasabi ng totoo," she added.
On Thursday, the Philippine Competition Commission also said it had been investigating a possible onion cartel since November 2022.