Tuesday, November 04, 2008 Glo official ‘interceded’
A TANKER (truck) containing used but recyclable oil and reportedly owned by the family of Presidential Assistant for Central Visayas Felix Guanzon has been held by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu since Oct. 31.
Capt. Isidro Estrera, district commander of the Port of Cebu’s Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), said the tanker was not allowed to get out of the Cebu International Port (CIP) due to the lack of proper documents, including a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) permit.
It is full of sludge (recyclable used oil) taken from mv Excellence, an ocean-going vessel transporting imported and exported goods.
The tanker was held on order of Deputy District Collector Julito Doria, who noted that recyclable oil is subject to duties and taxes and transporting it from CIP without payment is tantamount to smuggling.
Guanzon did not answer calls by Sun.Star Cebu to his mobile phone.
Second time
While Guanzon’s group has been transporting sludge through the CIP, this is the second time the name of the presidential assistant and his daughter-in-law Cristina was mentioned in controversies related to the said act.
The first time was after he requested President Arroyo, through Director General Cerge Remonde of the Presidential Management Staff, to immediately transfer customs policeman Clint Ecleo.
“He has been harassing legitimate businessmen in going in-and-out of CIP and even my daughter-in-law has been victimized,” Guanzon said in his letter to Arroyo last Sept. 24.
But Ecleo, in his letter to ESS Director Gen. Nicasio Radovan Jr., accused in turn Guanzon’s daughter-in-law of withdrawing a tanker of sludge at 3:30 a.m. last Sept. 3 without the needed documents, including a DENR permit.
Ecleo insisted that he knew the owner of the sludge because she called him to facilitate its release.
Needed documents
Estrera said that during the time of Elvira Cruz, Doria’s predecessor, Guanzon’s group just paid an amount ranging from P2,000 to P4,000 and P6,000 to facilitate the release of a tanker from CIP.
When Doria took over from Cruz, however, he told Guanzon’s group that no tariff is imposed if the used oil to be transported is meant to be disposed, provided they can produce a DENR permit for the purpose, plus a plan on how and where to dispose it.
Customs authorities said the requirement is important because disposing used oil just anywhere is a violation of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
Estrera said that Doria also told Guanzon’s group that if the used oil is meant to be recycled, then they have to pay duties and taxes aside from getting the needed DENR permit.
Doria decided to hold the tanker pending his meeting with DENR officials yesterday. There was no information yet on what transpired in that meeting.
CPA requirement
Cebu Port Authority General Manager Angelo Verdan was at the Makati Shangri-la attending the Asean Transport Ministers’ Meeting when the tanker was held by customs.
He said that there were times when buyers competed with each other to buy used oil, so they were required to identify their vessels to customs before they are allowed to get inside CIP.
Col. Oscar Lopez, CPA manager for safety and security, confirmed that the buying and selling of used oil at CIP.
However, he has yet to look into why the tanker was held by customs authorities. (EOB)
