BOC, NFA wash hands of delay in donation

CEBU, Philippines - Two government agencies denied causing the delay in the release of the donated rice shipment from the People's Republic of Algeria.

An official of the Bureau of Customs-Cebu who requested anonymity said the shipment can be released anytime.

"As far as Customs is concerned, the shipment itself has no problem. Those are duty-free because these were donations from other country," the official said.

The Customs official added that this is not their fault considering that DSWD-7 has to pay demurrage fees to the shipping company for the use of the container vans.

"Customs has nothing to do with this. That is their obligation to the shipping company. If they have not yet paid their obligation, then it really causes a delay in the release of the shipment," the customs official said.

Lucy Rosales, spokesperson of the National Food Authority-7, said they have also immediately released the import permit to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 to facilitate the release of the 175 containers of donated rice which are intended for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

The BOC required DSWD-7 to secure an import permit from NFA because it is a mandatory requirement for all rice shipment.

Rosales said that as early as December last year the NFA administrator was authorized to issue the import permit for the 6,400 metric tons of rice donated by Algeria.

Arneth Von Manquiquis, chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service in Cebu, said that they have already released 33 containers as of last night.

The 33 container vans were covered by the import permit issued by the NFA for the period covering February 13 to June 14, 2014.

DSWD-7 assistant director Marcial Fernandez earlier blamed the government's bureaucratic red tape for the delay. He said they were waiting for the import permit to be issued causing the accumulation of the demurrage and storage fees.

The American President Lines and Ming Marine Transport are collecting demurrage fees of P1,400 and P500 per container every day, respectively.

Documents also show that the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation has waived the stevedoring and arrastre fees.

DSWD-7 had said that it already requested P14 million to pay for all its obligations.  (FREEMAN)