Alleged rice smuggler Davidson Bangayan or popularly known as “David Tan” did not show up on Wednesday’s preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice on the charges filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against him and several individuals for their alleged involvement in the monopoly of rice.
The respondents were charged of monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade under Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC); bid fixing, as penalized under Section 65 of Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Act); using fictitious name or concealing true name, as penalized under Article 178 of the RPC; and violation of Commonwealth Act No. 142, as amended by RA No. 6085.
The NBI filed the criminal charges upon the request of the Senate, through its Committee Report No. 763 (Committees on Agriculture and Food, Ways and Means, Trade and Commerce, and Accountability of Public Officers).
In its complaint, the NBI accused the respondents of allegedly conspiring to use rice farmers “for the purpose of acquiring substantial allocations on the PSF-TES importation program [of the National Food Authority] with the end goal of monopolizing the supply of rice.”
“The aforementioned individuals conspired or agreed to organize the farmers cooperatives and organizations as well as other juridical personalities in order to monopolize the supply and distribution of rice through pre-arranged bidding and other false pretenses thereby preventing free competition in the market,” the bureau stressed.
“With the acts of subject Bangayan and company, the other capable individuals were denied of their share on the allocation of the rice importation,” it pointed out.
According to the bureau, the scheme cornered government’s rice import allocations, through the National Food Authority, in 2012 using 25 farmers’ organizations and cooperatives, and single proprietors that did not have the necessary financial and logistical capabilities as “dummies.”
The NBI further alleged that the bidders for NFA rice allocations were financed in exchange for a small percentage per sack as “share.”
Bangayan’s co-respondents in the first charge are Judilyne Lim, David Lim, and Leah Echiveria of Cebu-based DGL Commodities; Elizabeth Faustino; and Eleanor Rodriguez. For the second charge, he has four fellow respondents—Judilyne Lim, Faustino, Rodriguez and Echiveria.
The other respondents in the other charges are Eugene Pioquinto, Mary Joyce Lim, Jason Colocado, Michael Villanueva, Denis Gonzales, Willy Sy, Sandra Lim, Gil Calipayan and Inigo Espiritu.