BOC auctions rice today

CEBU, Philippines - After having been postponed yesterday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will push through today with the public auction of more than P325 million worth of seized smuggled rice.

Customs district collector Edward dela Cuesta explained that they had to put off the scheduled auction yesterday since the auction committee was dissolved in view of the Customs Personnel Order that was issued last week by their national office.

According to CPO no. 134-2013, which was signed by Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon and approved by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, all BOC employees are mandated to return to their permanent plantilla positions and original units as indicated in their appointment papers.

Dela Cuesta said that in view of the said order, all of them, including the auction committee members have no more authority to conduct the said auction effective September 17.

Dela Cuesta himself is assigned at the BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport office, including all other members of the auction committee.

However, Dela Cuesta said that they received a memorandum coming from Biazon yesterday, authorizing him and all members of the auction committee to proceed with the auction sale of the forfeited rice and to continue their functions in order to accomplish the purpose of the auction sale.

Yesterday’s auction was scheduled at 10:00 in the morning.

“Late na yung memorandum, so kailangan talagang e-postpone yung bidding kasi wala nga kaming authority because of the CPO. With the memorandum, we can proceed with the auction tomorrow (today) early in the morning at 7:00,” dela Cuesta said.

A total of 46 bidders have registered to purchase the 253,490 bags of rice which have been loaded in 488 container vans and divided into 48 lots.

For the past three biddings, the bureau already earned a total of P486,115,215.60 from the  600,000 bags of smuggled rice seized in April of this year.

The bags of rice were declared as stone and wooden slabs and were loaded in 1,169 container vans, reportedly from Vietnam.

It was dubbed as the “mother of all smuggled rice” valued between P800 million to P1 billion in retail price.— (FREEMAN)