THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu has opened one container van that was a subject of the controversial Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) operations that resulted in a near-shootout.
It contained tiles, as declared by the consignee, said BOC-Assistant Chief of Assessment Florante Ricarte.
Ricarte said there were also no evidences of smuggling at all as suspected by PASG, hence, Capt. Alfonso Abarriao of the Enforcement and Security Service is recommending the alert order issued by BOC District Collector Ricardo Belmonte.
Ricarte said that elements of PASG-Manila, headed by Roland Sanchez, left after they discovered upon the opening of the van that the items have been declared by the consignee, who has paid P873,000 in duties, taxes and safeguard tariff for the 10 container vans.
Belmonte said that they will no longer conduct the actual count of the tiles because the items are fragile and they might be damaged in the process.
He said that submitting them for X-ray is the fastest way to determine the contents of the vans especially that the government has a trade facilitation policy while collecting duties and taxes.
“We don’t want the importers to suffer on mere suspicion so we have to re-check the shipment fast,” Belmonte said.
The volume of importation at the Port of Cebu decreased after several businessmen stopped importing vehicle spare parts when the House of Representatives conducted a congressional inquiry on the alleged vehicle smuggling in Cebu.
Belmonte said that Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., the head of PASG-Manila, called him last week and requested an alert order on the two container vans on suspicion that the contents are smuggled goods.
PASG-Manila’s coordination with NBI 7 on the surveillance of the vans without the knowledge of PASG-Cebu elements resulted in a standoff among the armed responding agents at a warehouse in Mandaue City last Monday.
Belmonte said yesterday that they have alerted not just two vans, as requested by Villar, but the 10 container vans because all them were recorded in one bill of lading only.
Belmonte said the van could have been released last week because the importer has already paid the duties, taxes and safeguard duty.
But the nine other container vans were held so these could be re-examined in the presence of PASG officials and erase doubts on the presence of smuggled materials.
Belmonte said that if there are doubts, they are to re-check the cargoes in the presence of those who are questioning its contents.
But he said that they are now very strict in the determination of the value of imported goods because of the attrition law, which rewards those who can achieve surplus collections and punish non-performers.
“We have to compute the correct duties and taxes so we can meet the target,” Belmonte said.
In the case of a controversial shipment, the duties and taxes are computed at 10 percent tariff based on the Tariff and Customs Code.(EOB)
