The level of smuggling in the Phillippines has reached horrendous heights. Large-scale smuggling of agricultural products retards farm output production, limits manufacturing, and increase income inequality. " Smuggling in the Philippines is at it's worst under President Aquino's administration, with the smuggled value averaging $19.6 billion annually, an explosion from the comparable figures of $3.1 billion and $3.8 billion yearly during the terms of Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, respectively, " says Rigoberto Tiglao, a noted opinion writer, citing data from the International Monetary Fund.

Large-scale smuggling of agricultural products is anti-poor. (2016, April 06). Business World, p. 8/S1.