Solons to order arrest of Cebu BoC head if...

CEBU CITY — Customs collector Roberto Sacramento may be arrested if he fails to attend a hearing of the House committee on good government next week.

The committee is scheduled to hold another inquiry here on Friday into smuggling activities at the Cebu Port.

Cebu City north district Rep. Raul del Mar said Sacramento has been subpoenaed to appear in the hearing to shed light on the disappearance of M/V Great Faith last Christmas Eve.

Del Mar said Sacramento may be arrested if he ignores the subpoena.

Sacramento was tagged as among the six Customs officials involved in an alleged conspiracy over the mysterious disappearance of M/V Great Faith, which was seized for its shipment of 20,000 bags of smuggled rice.

Sacramento, the acting Customs collector at the time of the vessel’s escape, was earlier recommended by an investigating panel of the Bureau of Customs to be charged administratively for negligence.

Meanwhile, Cebu City south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco said he was disappointed with the report submitted by the fact-finding committee on the disappearance of M/V Great Faith.

Cuenco, in an interview with radio station dyLA, described the report of Finance Undersecretary Cornelio Hizon as shallow.

He said the report failed to recommend concrete actions to curb smuggling activities at the Port of Cebu.

The committee, he said, also failed to identify those behind the disappearance of M/V Great Faith.

Cuenco said the committee only recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against 16 Customs officials based in Cebu, including a civilian.

He did not disclose those facing charges, except Sacramento and deputy Customs collector for assessment Santiago Maravillas. — Freeman News Service