Misdeclared items worth P12M found in vans

CEBU, Philippines - Misdeclared items amounting to between P10 million to P12 million were found in various container vans earlier seized by the Bureau of Customs when these were opened yesterday.

The seized items includes 463 used tires, three used Mitsubishi Colts, a used Mazda Elf, a payloader, six motorcycles, three speedboats, used clothing and rags and two right-hand-drive ambulances.

BOC Commissioner Rufino Biazon led the opening of various seized container vans at the Cebu International Port.

Major Camilo Cascolan, chief of the Enforcement and Security Services said that two container vans that were also opened yesterday were found to contain automotive oil and hydraulic oil was misdeclared as mineral oil. It was valued at P3 million.

Biazon also viewed the seized 162,240 bags of smuggled rice due for public auction on Aug. 7, 2013. Dante Maranan, chief of the auction and disposal unit said that the government expects to earn P254 million from this auction alone. BOC already earned around P40 million in its first auction in June.

The said goods are part of the 520,000 bags of smuggled rice that were loaded in the 1,069 container vans from Vietnam that were seized by the bureau last April.

Missing rice

Last Friday, the National Bureau of Investigation-7 sent a letter request to Rico Rey Francis Holganza of the Port Cebu asking that nine container vans containing rice be held pending their investigation.

“In relation to the investigation being conducted by this bureau pertaining to the alleged rice pilferage from the seized/confiscated smuggled rice from Vietnam, may we request that the following container vans be contained or placed in a secure area pending investigation,” the letter read.

The container vans are numbered EISU 379499 0, EISU 398166 7, EMCU 370058 2, FSCU 750173 9, GLDU 970431 5, HMCU 302591 2, TGHU 024570 0, UESU 229349 9 and EGHU 304511 0.

The NBI wanted to ascertain how many bags of rice went missing. The BOC had declared that 272 bags of rice disappeared.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said since rice is perishable, it is the prerogative of the BOC to dispose of it. However, he appealed to the bureau not to dispose of the affected container vans.

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is also investigating the case. He said their office is not interested in how the BOC disposes of the rice but rather on the irregularities.

Shape up or ship out

Meanwhile, Biazon also called on all the bureau’s employees and officials to be on their toes and to be excellent in everything they do.

“Everyone needs to shape up or ship out,” said Biazon in a meeting with customs officials in Cebu.

Customs in Cebu celebrated its 127th Founding Anniversary yesterday, as it urged everyone in the bureau to be serious on the reforms that President Benigno Aquino III wants to happen.

“Kahit gaano pa kaganda ang performance natin, kagaya ng Cebu that they were able to get its target collection, still ‘yung negative pa natin ang mahighlight,” he said.

“We have to reverse the decade of bad image of the bureau. We have to start the change within ourselves,” Biazon added.

Customs district collector Edward dela Cuesta said that the port was able to surpass its target collection from January to July of this year.

“This is aside from the fact na may marami tayong huli. Yung nahuli naming 1, 069 container vans loaded with 520,000 bags of smuggled rice from Vietnam is the biggest na nahuli sa buong bansa,” Dela Cuesta said.

Dela Cuesta assured Biazon that they are doing their best to surpass their assigned target in the remaining months. —/BRP (FREEMAN)