‘Law must be applied in Torres’ case’

INFLUENCE peddling is neither allowed nor tolerated by the Aquino administration.

This was Malacañang’s reply when asked to comment on the INQUIRER banner story yesterday on the alleged attempt by former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres to negotiate the release from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) of at least 64 shipping containers of smuggled Thai sugar worth over P100 million.

“If there is evidence of such a prohibited act, then this may be acted upon in accordance with the law,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said.

Torres, a former assistant transportation secretary, gave BOC personnel a big surprise when she showed up at the agency’s Intelligence Group (IG) office on Aug. 20 to do “business.” She, however, left empty-handed.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Jessie Dellosa confirmed to the INQUIRER that the controversial ex-LTO head had visited the IG office “to appeal her case.”

Dellosa, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, said that while one of his staff members politely listened to Torres’ plea to release the illegally imported goods, the fact that the cargo constituted a violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) “cannot be overlooked.”

“Each and every case is reviewed and acted upon solely on the facts of the circumstances,” said Dellosa.

The shipments that Torres had tried to recover had been misdeclared as general merchandise. They were also not covered by import permits from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), a Department of Agriculture-attached agency.

The shipments, imported through alleged dummy firms, were part of more than 120 shipping containers of sugar that were the subject of at least 24 alert orders issued by the IG in the past five months.

Torres, meanwhile, has disputed an IG officer’s claim she had suggested the proceeds from the sale of the sugar would be used in the 2016 elections.

In a text message, she said she never uttered the words “eleksyon naman (it’s for the elections)” during her conversation with Willie Tolentino, Dellosa’s special assistant.

“Naku, I can face them. Wala akong sinabing ganyan (I did not say anything like that). Tell Gen Willie sinungaling siya (he’s a liar),” she said.

But she did not deny dropping President Aquino’s name during her visit to the IG of- fice, where she was quoted as saying: “We grow sugarcane at (Hacienda) Luisita... I lease land and we plant together.” Mr. Aquino’s relatives own Hacienda Luisita.

Both the President and Torres hail from Tarlac province. Torres, of La Paz town, was the LTO chief in Tarlac before Mr. Aquino appointed her assistant secretary to head the Department of Transportation and Communications-attached agency in 2010.

In late 2013, she was captured in a YouTube video playing a slot machine in a casino. That reportedly prompted the President to show her the door at the LTO.

‘Shameless, scumbag’

Yesterday, netizens assailed Torres for allegedly trying to negotiate an otherwise illegal deal with the Bureau of Customs.

Amor Cok of Los Angeles, California, called her a “shameless person” and a “scumbag who should be put in jail.”

Resty Manalo of Purefoods Corp. challenged the BOC: “Show us that you have balls and do what you got to do. File a criminal case. The public will support you all the way.”

“The smugglers were identified and were in fact claiming their smuggled goods... (But) no case filed by BOC Commissioner Lina, Deputy Commissioner Dellosa and Tolentino,” said Braincleaner.

“In more advanced countries, this Torres would have been arrested already,” said Darwin.

Torres has declined to comment further. In her last text message to this paper, she said: “I still know myself better than others do.”

In a statement, the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines, the biggest group of sugar planters and millers nationwide, described the illegal trade as “very lucrative” and “very tempting.”

“The landed cost for Thai refined sugar is P1,100 per sack. On the other hand, the wholesale price of local sugar in Binondo, Manila, is P2,350 per sack. The profit margin is over 100 percent. So Virgie Torres’ P100-million investment will earn her P130 million easy,” the SAP said.