Bureau of Customs orders seizure of rice shipment from Vietnam

MANILA, Philippines -  The Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday issued a warrant of seizure of detention (WSD) for the 4,700 metric tons of rice from Vietnam that arrived in Legaspi, Albay last Sept. 2. 

BOC Commissioner Rufino Biazon said Port of Legaspi officer-in-charge Leovigildo Dayoja issued a WSD against the rice shipment on board M/V Minh Tuan 68 allegedly because it lacked the necessary documents. 

Biazon said the shipment violated provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines and sections of the National Food Authority (NFA) law. 

The Vietnamese vessel reportedly entered the port of Legaspi at around 9:30 a.m. without the required Notice of Vessel Arrival (NVA), which should have been submitted within 24 hours prior to its arrival.

The shipping agent, Port Area Cargo Services, reportedly filed its NVA to BOC-Legaspi on Sept. 5, three days after the cargo arrived. 

When BOC personnel boarded the ship at the Port of Legaspi, they were given copies of the inward foreign manifest, bills of lading and load port survey Reports that indicated the Port of Legazpi was among the ports of destination. 

The shipping agent later requested for the cancellation of the manifest, saying “they cannot accommodate our cargo at the moment because of the unavailability of space in their warehouse at Legazpi.”

“The consignees decided to discharge their cargo at the Port of Manila wherein they also have a suitable warehouse to receive their cargo,” the manifest added.

The shipment was placed under alert, pending verification of the requested documents covering the importation of the rice shipment by the NFA.