BOC probes 23 'fictitious' importers

An official of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said over the weekend that they have identified 23 importers they suspect to be bogus.

Assistant Customs Commissioner Rolando Ligon Jr., who is the concurrent BOC Post Entry Audit Group (PEAG) chief, said they have blacklisted the 23 firms while an investigation is going on.

“These importers can no longer transact with the bureau,” Ligon said. “When we served the notices of audits, we just saw fields, vacant and abandoned lots in their given addresses. Barangay officials in the area also gave us certifications that there are no offices situated there.”

The BOC-PEAG was supposed to review records of shipment of the 23 firms, namely: Stone Global Phils., Asiatrics Enterprises, Olongapo Home Builder, Olmea Trading, Richful Trading, Fil-Wood Enterprise, Wren Enterprise, Goging Trading, Juvenic Ventures, Start Rich International, Kostech Corp., Lowcost Integrated Marketing Inc., Alma Pacita Enterprise, Laihee’s Trading, Azon General Merchandise Co., UK Duke, Inc., Derubaru Trading Corp., Universal Feedmill Corp., Central Luzon Swine and Poultry, Queensland Fashion, Strong Ally Enterprises, Maxqing Enterprises, and World of Tiles.

He also did not discount the possibility that giving out false addresses could be part of a ploy by some importers to avoid administrative and criminal liabilities.

“But it is also possible that the office was there during the time when they filed an accreditation with the bureau but they should inform us about the transfer of the office location,” Ligon said.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered the bureau’s Management Information System Technical Group under deputy commissioner Alexander Arevalo to conduct its own investigation, this time to identify the BOC officials and personnel who accredited the 23 importers.

He also recently formed a committee on accreditation as part of additional measures against smuggling.

“Through this, we hope to remove fly-by-night and fictitious importers by cleansing our current list of accredited importers,” Morales said.    – Evelyn Macairan