Press Release
May 6, 2007

End 'kotong' on food delivery trucks - Recto

Senator Ralph Recto says authorities should stop the unholy practice of some lawmen that make food delivery trucks their nocturnal milking cows, stressing that the "kotong" they gain leads to an increase of food prices.

Recto added that he has heard a slew of complaints from vegetable and fruit traders from the Cordillera and from Southern and Central Luzon who complain about this practice, which the Department of the Agriculture (DA) and top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are now bent in stopping.

"Why do they have to stop these delivery trucks? Shipping food to urban centers is not a crime or even a violation of LTO rules. In fact, these trucks should be registered with the LTO as food delivery vehicles bringing in perishable goods," he said.

Recto supports the plan to give these trucks the same treatment as vehicles doing emergency tasks.

"The food lanes envisioned by the DA should be implemented since it is one way of ensuring the swift transport of food products. If I may add, I am also in favor of exempting them from the truck ban in Metro Manila since it is bad for our diet if the food they bring are spoiled," he insisted.

Mulcting increases the prices of the food on our table, he said.

The senator suggested that the PNP monitor these checkpoints since there has been a steady increase of extortion cases, in some instances involving not only the law enforcement people but also barangay tanods, "environment police", deputized traffic enforcers and other armed elements.

Recto called on all these people to give our people a break by taking it easy on food delivery trucks, explaining that unscrupulous traders use this extortion caper as a justification for them to jack up prices.

"This is sad since the crews of delivery truck have to fork over thousands of pesos so as to buy their freedom from these highwaymen," Recto said.

"Food delivery trucks operate for public convenience and necessity. Could you imagine the consequences of a boycott or a strike of traders and their crews?" he emphasized.

He called on both the DA and PNP to conduct constant monitoring of the highways to ensure that food caravans are not pestered by extortionists.

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