P237M worth of rice seized

CEBU, Philippines - At least 118,500 bags of rice from Thailand valued at P237 million not covered by import permits were apprehended at the Cebu International Port.

Of this number, 80,000 were found in a cargo vessel while 38,500 were found in 77 container vans.

It was Verne Enciso, officer in charge of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Cebu, who recommended to Customs District Collector Elvira Cruz that a Warrant of Seizure and Detention be issued against the shipments, as well as the vessel.

As of yesterday, Cruz has yet to act on the recommendation.

Enciso said the shipments arrived sometime last March 2017 at the CIP but were discovered only recently.

It is the National Food Authority that issued import permits.

MV Mekong is still on anchorage at the CIP as BOC-Cebu did not issue an exit clearance.

The rice shipments, reported to be part of the 2016 Minimum Access Volume (MAV) importation program of the National Food Authority, failed to arrive in time for the February 28 deadline imposed by NFA administrator Jason Aquino.

According to Enciso, they will abide by the decision of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon or the Department of Finance if it will be decided that import permits will be issued to cover the rice importations.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez who sits as member of the NFA Council (NFAC) said President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed, albeit in principle, to allow the private sector to import rice the other day.

This, in effect, stopped the NFA’s plan to import rice using government-to-government transactions.

To recall, the NFAC, headed by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., set an extension for the remaining six percent of the MAV allocation to March 31.

However, in a memorandum to Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, Aquino requested that BOC apprehend shipments arriving after February 28, except for those coming from India and Pakistan.

This is the reason why, last month, BOC-Cebu apprehended the P289 million worth of rice from Vietnam, Pakistan, and Thailand that arrived at the Cebu port on March 1, 2, 7, and 8.

While Faeldon issued an order to this effect on March 7, Deputy Commissioner Natalio Ecarma issued another order dated March 17, saying rice importation under the 2016 MAV program was extended to March 31 regardless of country of origin.

Ecarma issued the order when he was OIC commissioner in response to a memorandum from Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

However, Aquino refused to issue import permits because he already served notice to countries of origin on his plan to import using government-to-government transactions.

"Sa ngayon, we are still waiting for further instruction of Faeldon if the rice shipment will be released with the import permit na retroactive yung effect. Wait and see lang muna kami," Enciso said

Enciso said they would be glad if the rice shipments will be released to the consignees as this would mean income on the part of the bureau because the consignees will be paying Customs taxes and duties amounting to millions of pesos.

Enciso said that if all rice shipments will be confiscated in favor of the government, the bureau will not earn as the smuggled rice cannot be put to a public auction, but will all be donated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). (FREEMAN)