Floating casino slips, 7 Customs men charged

CEBU - Seven officials of the Port of Cebu were ordered suspended after it was learned that a floating casino being held for unpaid taxes has been able to slip out of the port.

The officials were identified as Capt. Alfonso Abarriao, Cebu Customs Police Division chief; Capt. Benjamin Capacite, CCPD sub-port of Mactan chief; Customs seaman Marcelo Gaviola; Luis Patriana, Mactan Port Operations Division (POD) chief; Jessica Delgado, Boarding and Clearing officer; POD Inspector Vanessa de Madrazo, and Customs guard Ismael Abdulcadir.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales also ordered the filing of administrative charges for gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the service against the officials.

The case stemmed on the disappearance of MV Philippine Dream, a floating casino and hotel in Magellan Bay.

According to Lt. Daniel Aquino of the bureau’s Internal Inquiry and Prosecution Division (IIPD) the vessel was “originally imported free of taxes and duties by Philippine Dream Company Inc. in 1994 pursuant to the privileges granted under the Omnibus Investment Code.”

When the firm ceased operation in 2004, the Board of Investments terminated all incentives granted to the firm and as a consequence, ordered it to refund the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) the amount of P49,773,630.60 representing tax of its capital equipment.

The amount has been settled.

On August 2006, Cebu Port Collector Ricardo Belmonte issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the vessel, and informed the BIR regarding Customs lien over the vessel in the amount of P12,020,250 representing unpaid Customs duties.

However, on June 8, 2008, Belmonte discovered the vessel was missing.

He learned that officials of the Port Operations Division allowed the vessel to be towed by tugboat Masindra II and was able to sail to Bangladesh without paying the amount and proper authority. — GMANews.TV (THE FREEMAN)