Friday, October 03, 2008 Papers for vans ‘in order’; PASG boss silences Palcuto
OPERATIONS Chief Edmundo Arugay yesterday urged Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) Cebu Director Ariel Palcuto to settle internal differences with Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu issued an alert order against 10 container vans, one of which is now being guarded by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7.
Florante Ricarte, assistant assessment chief of the Port of Cebu, said that District Collector Ricardo Belmonte issued the alert order to verify the PASG Manila’s allegations that the shipment violated certain laws.
The van was scheduled for inspection yesterday but, after waiting for hours at the warehouse, NBI 7 agents were told to return today. According to PASG Manila’s Roland Sanchez, a document is still being processed.
Sanchez is part of the team that Atty. Arugay formed for the operation that resulted in the van’s seizure last Monday. Arugay is the PASG chief of operations and concurrent NBI deputy director for technical services.
Mission order
It was this operation that the NBI 7 was directed to assist, per a mission order from the office of PASG chief Villar.
Arugay, in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu yesterday, defended the operation and chided Palcuto for “washing dirty linen in public” by questioning before the media the authenticity of the mission order.
“If he had questions, he should have come to the head office,” Arugay said.
On why the PASG Cebu wasn’t informed, Arugay said it was Villar’s decision not to do so.
“The instruction to us was to operate independently. When the instruction from the boss is to operate independently, then the operation will be carried out independently,” Arugay said.
Arugay, however, washed his hands of the apparent conflict between incumbent NBI 7 Chief Medardo de Lemos and Deputy Director for Regional Operations Reynaldo Esmeralda.
Internal
Other than saying PASG has the authority to tap any agency for assistance in any operation—an authority that “no agency can otherwise refuse”—he said the issue between de Lemos and Esmeralda “is an internal matter within the NBI.”
Esmeralda earlier issued a show-cause order that asked de Lemos to explain, within 72 hours, why the NBI 7 did not seek his (Esmeralda’s) approval before extending assistance to the PASG.
De Lemos tasked his executive officer, Atty. Ernesto Macabare, to draft a response. Macabare, in an interview yesterday, said one has already been sent.
In an interview with reporters, de Lemos yesterday admitted he felt slighted. He said Esmeralda announced the issuance of the show-cause order before the media even before faxing it to the regional office.
“That is bad taste,” he said.
Moreover, the order came hours after the NBI 7 faxed to Esmeralda’s office the after-action report on the operation.
In a separate interview over radio station DySS, Arugay said he is sure that Mission Order 343-2008 was signed by Villar because it was signed in his presence.
But Palcuto, in an earlier interview, said it was Assistant Secretary Danilo Mangila who signed the order.
No deficiency
Palcuto was scheduled to meet with Villar yesterday.
Ricarte of the BOC-Cebu said that while PASG-Manila requested an alert order for only two container vans, Belmonte issued the alert order for the 10 because these are listed in only one bill of lading and have one consignee.
The customs bureau is withholding the consignee’s name unless the shipment is found illegal.
Ricarte clarified that the issuance of an alert order does not mean they have proven violations of the Tariff and Customs Code. The consignee has paid P873,000 in duties and taxes.
“If it will be found out that there is no tax deficiency on the shipment after the payment of P873,000, then all the 10 container vans will be released,” Ricarte said.
If there is a tax deficiency, BOC will require the consignee to pay it before the release of the cargo, Ricarte said.
Ricarte clarified that the container van being guarded by the NBI 7 passed the customs’ legal processes. It is speculative to say the van contains smuggled goods, he added. (EOB/KNR)
