Mighty’s import suspension stays — BOC

MANILA, Philippines - The import accreditation of tobacco manufacturer Mighty Corp. will remain suspended even if the government has accepted its offer to pay P25 billion in tax liabilities, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said yesterday.

The Bulacan-based company is still barred from importing tobacco leaves and other raw materials, according to BOC legal division chief Alvin Ebreo.

“We have yet to lift the suspension on Mighty’s import permit. The company remains prohibited from importing raw materials based on our Client Profile Registration System,” Ebreo said.

He said the government’s acceptance of Mighty’s P25-billion tax settlement would have an effect on the cases filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) against the cigarette firm for allegedly using fake stamps.

Last March, the BOC issued a preventive suspension order against Mighty, stopping it from importing tobacco leaves and other raw materials for alleged violation of the bureau’s warehousing rules.

The BOC cited the raids on Mighty’s warehouses in Bulacan, Pampanga and Zamboanga that yielded  P2 billion worth of counterfeit cigarettes as grounds for the suspension.

Ebreo said they were building up the seizure and forfeiture proceedings against Mighty.

He clarified that they have not filed any case against the cigarette firm before the courts.

“We are weighing our legal remedies. We recognize the difficulty in gathering evidence. What we are trying to establish is the smuggling aspect. We want to build a strong case,” Ebreo said.

The Customs official said they needed to confirm if Mighty used imported tobacco leaves and other raw materials in manufacturing cigarettes.