BOC chief orders manhunt for elephant tusk consignees

Customs Commissioner Alexander Arevalo, in a visit to a warehouse where 857 kilos of seized ivory elephant tusks are now stored, ordered the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) to go after the consignees of the contraband.

"We’re now running after the consignees," Arevalo said of the BOC’s next step after inspecting the latest major catch of the BOC-NAIA. "This shows that we are dead serious in stopping the trafficking of such goods. It is part of the Philippine government’s commitment to international treaties on wildlife conservation."

Arevalo said the seizure of elephant tusks, worth some P11 million, was a first in the country.

"I believe this is the first time that such a shipment was intercepted," Arevalo said.

Experts from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that based on the inventory of the tusks from two seized shipments from Nairobi, Kenya and Uganda, some 160 elephants were killed.

Ricardo Belmonte, BOC-NAIA district collector, said their district office would continue their heightened vigilance against smuggling activities.

"We will remain vigilant against smuggling and ensure that all exporters and importers pay the proper Customs duties and taxes on their goods so we can raise much needed funds for the government," Belmonte said.

Customs police foiled the smuggling of the elephant tusks, which were declared as rough stones in shipments that arrived Sept. 17 and 26. The consignees were identified as Cicero Remoroza and Erwin Lubikno, respectively.

Meanwhile, the BOC has forged an agreement with international shipping lines and seafreight forwarders to further intensify its campaign against smuggling.

Arevalo said the bureau signed a memorandum of agreement with the Association of International Shipping Lines Inc. (AISL) and Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association (PISFA) for the advance submission of the copy of the inward foreign manifest (CIF) and consolidated cargo manifest (CMC).

Under the agreement, shipping lines and forwarders will provide the bureau with accurate data and information of vessels and cargoes before they even arrive at any port in the country.

Arevalo stressed that the information should be transmitted electronically to the bureau at least 12 hours before the vessel arrives.

"This will enable the bureau to evaluate the risk of smuggling through the use of ocean-going cargo containers," he explained.

Apart from curbing smuggling incidents in ports, the agreement will also expedite the release of cargo upon arrival of shipments. – With Edu Punay