With PASG suspended, smuggled goods seen to flood local market

MANILA, Philippines - Billions of pesos worth of smuggled goods would flood the country this Christmas season after a Manila Regional Trial Court stopped for 20 days the operations of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) in connection with a suit filed by an alleged jewelry smuggler, officials said yesterday.

PASG director for intelligence Guillermo Jaih Francia and chief of staff Jeffrey Patawaran said a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Manila RTC Judge Silvino Pampilo stopped the implementation of Executive Order 624, which created the PASG in 2007.

The TRO stemmed from a complaint filed by Siu Ting Alpha Kwok, a British citizen accused of smuggling some P250 million worth of jewelry, wristwatches, and precious stones.

Kwok, through her lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan, filed a petition for preliminary injunction against Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar.

The court also directed Kwok, currently detained, to post a P2 million bond for her temporary liberty.

“It (TRO) is a huge setback because we have ongoing operations. We have profiles of certain individuals and consignees, with 20 days nearing Christmas, the volume of importation is high. It is a setback,” Francia told a news briefing at the Palace.

Patawaran said about P200 billion worth of “importable commodities,” including toys, lights, decorations, fruits and vegetables, enter the country in December.

Smugglers, however, begin their work to take advantage of the Christmas season in November, officials said.   – Paolo Romero