Warehouse with 30,000 bags of rice unlicensed

The National Food Authority yesterday admitted that no license yet has been issued to the warehouse in barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City where the piles of imported rice were found by the National Bureau of Investigation during a raid last week.

NFA licensing division chief Jaime Ang admitted in open court during the hearing of the motion to quash the search warrant filed by businessman Reagan King and the Bureau of Customs that no “plate” has been issued, which serves as license, for warehouse number 52 located in Castilex Compound.

Licensed warehouses are issued plates by the NFA which are to be displayed conspicuously for the public to view. According to Ang, the plate for the warehouse, which King rented from former Cebu Ports Authority general manager Mariano Martinez, is still on process in Manila.

He said that Jolli Trading International, Incorporated has applied for a license of the warehouse, and that the application reportedly already served as license as provided for in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree No. 4 which created the NFA.

However, NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos, in an interview after the hearing, said that under Section 13 of P.D. 4, a registration and a license have to be secured for the operation of a warehouse.

De Lemos said an application is in no way considered a license. In fact, a certificate of registration was issued by NFA to Jolli Trading that it is allowed to import and engage in wholesaling.

De Lemos questioned that if an application already serves as license or registration, then why did the NFA issued a certificate of registration to Jolli Trading that it is allowed to import and engage in the wholesale of rice grains.

He added that the IRR does not amend the law which clearly mandated for the license and registration before a warehouse can operate. NFA regional director Danilo Bonabon issued a certification to the NBI on April 1 that the subject warehouse was not licensed.

However, on April 3, a day after the NBI raided the warehouse, NFA provincial manager Ramon Astilla issued another certificate contrary to what was issued earlier by his regional director.

Astilla will be presented in court today during the continuation of the hearing of the motion to quash the search warrant. The NBI also asked that Bonabon be subpoenaed to testify on his certification which was made as their basis in applying for the search warrant.

Meanwhile, Regional Trial Court judge Fortunato de Gracia yesterday granted the motion for intervention filed by Customs district collector Ricardo Belmonte.

Belmonte earlier filed a motion for intervention with leave of court and a motion to quash on the ground that subject of the search warrant - the almost 30,000 sacks of imported rice - is still under their jurisdiction.

Belmonte said that the shipment is not yet released by Customs as it is still subject of an examination and verification. — Fred P. Languido/MEEV