Group joins BOC fight vs sugar smuggling

MANILA, Philippines - A month after calling for the ouster of Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines (SAP) is singing a different tune and will be working with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to combat sugar smuggling in the country.

SAP is one of the organizations that entered into a memorandum of agreement that formally deputizes their organization as among those that will be working with the BOC to curb sugar smuggling.

Back in August, SAP president Manuel Lamata criticized Lina for allegedly failing to curb sugar smuggling in the country.

Lamata admitted that when he was criticizing Lina to the point of even writing to President Aquino and asking that Lina be ousted from the BOC, he never had the opportunity to meet the BOC chief and did not get all the facts.

“I thought that he was part of the smugglers, that is why I wanted him out. But in the later dates, (we saw that) he was supportive of the efforts in catching (smugglers)…That is why we sort of changed our tune because we found out the truth. All we were asking then was for our office to be deputized so we could help him as a non-government organization, and he did this just now,” Lamata explained.

“For as long as no sugar smuggling is coming in and we have no way of proof that he deliberately opened his windows for sugar smuggling, then he will never hear my mouth say Lina out,” he added.

Lamata also said he is hoping that President Aquino will disregard SAP’s earlier letters that called for Lina’s ouster.

Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Regina Martin said that they have already informed the President about the tie up between the BOC and the SAP.

Since the SAP and SAR have been deputized, Lina said these organizations would now have access to whatever information the BOC has in terms of sugar importations.

“They will have whatever we have. We will deputize them as if they would be part of the BOC. They will be part of us when I inspect, or the Enforcement Group (EG) or Intelligence Group (IG) inspects, or when we examine the papers they could have access to that,” Lina added.

Lina also gave orders to all BOC officials and employees to extend assistance to Lamata and SRA’s Louie Malagkit, who would act as “industry expert advisers” of the Office of the Commissioner on matters that would help curtail sugar smuggling. 

This tie-up with the private sector is not new. In 2002, representatives from the sugar sector were given access to information. This policy is only being revived.