NBI probing other big-time rice smugglers

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation is investigating other big-time rice smugglers in the country aside from alleged smuggling king Davidson Bangayan, NBI director Virgilio Mendez said yesterday.

He said officials of the NBI-National Capital Region and the bureau’s anti-graft division will hold a meeting today to give their progress reports on the rice smuggling probe.

“We will have a case briefing tomorrow,” Mendez told The STAR in a phone interview.

“We will move forward in our investigation,” he added.

Mendez said the NBI-NCR is looking into the alleged smuggling activities of Bangayan. The bureau’s anti-graft division, on the other hand, is in charge of the investigation on the Senate committee report on rice smuggling.

The NBI chief said they would be requesting documents from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the National Food Authority (NFA) in an effort to expand their investigation on massive rice smuggling in the country.

More evidence vs ‘David Tan’ needed

The NBI needs more evidence to prove that Bangayan is the real rice smuggling king “David Tan,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted yesterday.

“The NBI has evidence, but of course the challenge is how to prove it conclusively,” De Lima said.

She said she has directed the bureau to gather more evidence – documentary and testimonial – against the alleged rice smuggling king.

De Lima also ordered the probers to check the circumstances behind the issuance of NBI clearances to both Bangayan and Tan.

“How come NBI clearances were issued to one Davidson Bangayan and one David Tan, who have the same address, by the way, when there is an anti-pilferage case?” she asked.

The justice chief disclosed that she received information that Tan has connections in the NBI and had even served as a consultant in the bureau.

“This is why I want to disabuse the minds of certain sectors that the NBI cooperated with that David Tan, who is said to be a big-time smuggler with cohorts from within certain agencies, including customs bureau and possibly the NFA. We have to prove them wrong,” she said.

Last week, Bangayan surfaced at the NBI to clear his name only to be served an arrest warrant for an electricity pilferage case in Caloocan City.

The 33-year-old businessman was released by the NBI because the arrest warrant issued by Caloocan Judge Lorenza Bordios-Paculdo stated that Tan “is not Davidson Bangayan.”

But the NBI maintained that Bangayan and Tan are one and the same person.

The Bureau of Immigration has placed Bangayan in its lookout bulletin. – With Edu Punay, Edith Regalado