THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila will look into last week’s “illegal release” of a container van with four used luxury vehicles inside from the Port of Cebu.
NBI Deputy Director Reynaldo Esmeralda assured that there will be no whitewash in the investigation, especially that some Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials are believed to be involved.
The NBI already secured copies of documents showing that the government already owned the vehicles, reportedly worth P2 million, when Customs Wharfinger Haron Baragona released them.
The van arrived last March 4, 2006 from Japan aboard mv Confidence.
Customs Broker Unalee R. Monares signed the import entry, with GLRC Auto Parts in Siquijor Province as consignee.
Then district collector Ma. Lourdes V. Mangaoang, however, issued a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) against the shipment because the vehicles were misdeclared as replacement parts.
Pursuant to Section 2530 (property subject to forfeiture) of the Tariff and Customs Code, the Toyota Celica car, two Nissan Terrano vans and one Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed were forfeited in favor of the government as decided by Mangaoang in a May 7 order.
Including Legal Officer Edward James Dy Buco and Baragona, all the Port of Cebu officials knew about Mangaoang’s order. Dy Buco was the forfeiture proceeding’s hearing officer, while Baragona, as overall custodian of shipments inside the Cebu International Port, received a copy of the order.
But last Sept. 11, a certain Felix filed another import entry, also signed by Monares.
Altered?
This time, it was made to appear that the van arrived last Aug. 10 and contained scaffoldings consigned to Eastland Property Ventures.
And though the two import entries have the same serial number, the Entry Processing Unit (EPU) headed by Alvin Kho processed it.
Dy Buco recommended last Sept. 20 for a continuous processing of the shipment.
Mangaoang’s successor, District Collector Ricardo Belmonte, approved the release after setting as condition that the shipment should have passed “a 100 percent examination.”
In a separate interview, Belmonte said that BOC Manila investigators are already in Cebu to look into the matter.
Esmeralda, though, said that the BOC must leave the investigation to his office. (EOB)
