CARGO CONTAINER FULL OF ‘SMUGGLED’ RICE SLIPS PAST CUSTOMS IN CEBU
Officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu said they are tracking down one cargo container that smugglers using fake documents allegedly took from the Cebu International Port. The incident happened before the bureau issued alert orders for 75 containers that were suspected of being misdeclared. The missing container is one of the 75. Of the 63 containers opened so far, 14 have turned out to hold smuggled rice, said Wivina Pumatong, officer-in-charge district collector of the Port of Cebu. The other 49 held ceramic tiles, as declared in the importation documents.
The missing cargo container was among the 75 cargo containers in the Cebu International Port covered by an alert order of the Bureau of Customs Acting Port of Cebu District Collector Wivina Pumatong says that some personnel under her office will be investigated
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu is tracking down one cargo container that was allegedly taken by smugglers from the Cebu International Port (CIP) using fake documents.
Wivina “Baby” Pumatong, Port of Cebu officer-in-charge district collector, said the incident happened before the issuance of alert orders against a total of 75 cargo containers. The alert orders were issued by Pumatong and Deputy District Collector for Operation Rico Rey Francis Holganza.
With the disappearance of one cargo container, Pumatong said that there are only 74 remaining cargo containers that are now subject to on-site investigation.
Pumatong said that personnel of BOC, Cebu Port Authority (CPA) and Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (Opascor) will no longer verify the veracity of signatures on import documents once 10-wheeler trucks leave the port area carrying imported goods.
“They (smugglers) used fake X-ray (printouts),” Pumatong said.
The BOC is mandated to collect duties and taxes on imported products; CPA controls the CIP and collect wharfage fees; while the Opascor is the exclusive cargo handling providers at CIP.
She said that 11 out of the 74 cargo containers have yet to be opened. Of the 63 containers that were opened by Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, 14 of these contained smuggled rice and will be forfeited immediately in favor of the government.
The other 49 cargo containers were filled with ceramic tiles as declared by the consignees in their importation documents, and will be subjected to correct duties and taxes. The consignees are Seven Myth Marketing and Rainbow Horizons Enterprise, which are both based in Manila.
Pumatong said the smuggled rice were placed in sacks, with markings “Mayon” and “Eagle,” which are local brands. She said that the empty sacks may have been printed in the Philippines and were sent to China, or these were printed in China so that when the sacks of rice are released in Cebu nobody would suspect that these are imported.
Pumatong said that Lapeña, who led the opening of the containers with suspected smuggled cargoes, will investigate some BOC Port of Cebu employees who may have been in cahoots with smugglers.
In an earlier interview, Lapena said he wants to institute reforms at the BOC Port of Cebu, especially that Cebu has been tagged as a smuggling capital in the country.
Under the leadership of Pumatong, the BOC Port of Cebu caught smuggled carrots and potatoes; luxury cars; and rice.
Pumatong said the forfeiture of the smuggled goods will follow upon the issuance of warrants of seizure and detention. /