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Wednesday, December 03, 2003
P17M cereal held; barge gets away
By Elias O. Baquero
* Customs officials suspect Chinese-Filipino businessmen with connections in Malacaņang
* Bureau of Customs agents spotted barge LCT Emilia docking near F.F. Cruz private wharf in Mandaue City about 3:20 a.m. Tuesday
* Ten wheeler trucks loaded with rice were seen coming out from barge and speeding towards Subangdaku, Mandaue
* Barge moved away with Coast Guard failing to catch it
* Three of 10 trucks were intercepted and impounded at Cebu International Port
* A second team, led by a police officer, chased other trucks until they reached a warehouse at Kenwood compound near Mandaue flyover
CEBU CITY -- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) apprehended Tuesday 17,000 sacks of rice worth P17 million, on suspicion that the grains were smuggled from Vietnam.
Customs Special Agent James Aguilar said he and his colleagues, Ben Rom and Jaime Donaldo, spotted the barge LCT Emilia docking at F.F. Cruz private wharf at 3:20 a.m.
They were surprised to see 10 trucks, all 10-wheelers loaded with rice, coming out from the barge and speeding towards Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
It took less than 10 minutes for all the 10 trucks to get out from the barge. The barge, on the other hand, immediately left the wharf.
Almost two years ago, the vessel Great Faith escaped at Christmas from a Mandaue City wharf, taking some 18,000 bags of rice with it.
That provoked a congressional investigation, whose results have apparently failed to stop rice smuggling so far.
Three of the 10 trucks in Tuesday's case were intercepted and impounded at the Cebu International Port (CIP).
Chase
Three drivers, identified as Ernesto Empis of BS Trucking and Wilfredo Puro and Julian C. Ricomonyo of Cebu Pacific Transport Corp., were arrested and their licenses confiscated pending investigation.
The drivers said they don't know the owners of the rice because they were only hired to transport it.
A second team chased the seven other trucks until they reached a warehouse in Kenwood Compound, near the Mandaue flyover.
The team was composed of Customs Police Chief Capt. Isidro Estrera, Capt. Hernando Anonas, Roberto Gines, Enrico Tamayo, Jaime Sixta and Morie Velez.
Drivers of the seven trucks fled in different directions.
More rice stocks (M.A.N. brand) were found in the warehouse, along with 28 bales of empty sacks for repacking rice.
Customs policemen caught laborers unloading rice from two of the seven trucks.
Systematic
A certain Ricky, presumed to be the representative of the rice owner, approached the customs policemen but failed to present documents to show that the shipment is legal.
Gines said Ricky suggested that the problem be "fixed" but suddenly disappeared when rebuffed by the apprehending officers.
The operation was systematic, Estrera said.
The vessel carrying the rice was anchored near the parola (lighthouse). LCT Emilia ferried the empty trucks to the vessel and after loading these with rice, went back to F.F. Cruz wharf to discharge the trucks.
This was conducted at dawn.
As of press time, Estrera said District Collector Billy Bibit will issue a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) against the rice once an inventory is submitted to him.
Gines said a BOC team will conduct the inventory today.
Bibit refused to answer several calls to his mobile phone.
An ABS-CBN report said customs authorities suspect that Filipino-Chinese businessmen who have Malacaņang connections were involved in the shipment.
Presidential Political Liaison Officer Elberto Emphasis said that in the past years, he has received reports that some Filipino-Chinese businessmen, close to some Malacaņang officials, are engaged in rice smuggling.
Palace links?
A shipping owner and a businessman from Samar were mentioned by customs officials as owners of the rice stocks, but their names were withheld as investigators have yet to come up with evidence.
"We have to investigate it further and identify the people behind this rice shipment," Estrera said.
Anonas said it would be better if the rice will be transferred to the National Food Authority warehouse for safekeeping.
As this developed, Undersecretary Celestino "Junie" Martinez Jr. of the Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered a thorough investigation of rice smuggling in Cebu.
Martinez, who is presently DA's officer-in-charge, sent a representative who talked to Bibit Tuesday and discussed how customs and the agriculture department can work together in prosecuting rice smugglers.
"How can farmers get a good price for their harvests if smuggled rice is flowing into the market?" Martinez pointed out.
(December 3, 2003 issue)
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