Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Customs holds Vietnamese cargo vessel
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
BUTUAN CITY -- The Bureau of Customs issued a hold order against a Vietnamese cargo ship after its crew allegedly pilfered and sold rice imported by the National Food Authority from Vietnam.
Customs Officer Josefa Villasenior said the vessel's crewmembers were discovered selling sacks of rice consigned to the National Food Authority (NFA) when it anchored at Punta Diwata Point near the shoreline of Barangay Vinapor, Carmen, Agusan del Norte last Thursday.
M/V Xuang Viet Hei Phong, a Vietnamese registered cargo vessel, is docked at the International Port of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte pending investigation on charges of pilferage.
Around 26 sacks of rice were confiscated by combined team of PNP Maritime, Regional Police Intelligence Office, Coast Guard, Bureau of Customs, and the Navy, said Senior Police Officer 4 Proculo Amora, division head of the Regional PNP Maritime office.
Amora said the 26 sacks of rice they confiscated could be possibly be part of the NFA rice imported from Vietnam, that has been sold to the residents in the area without the knowledge of the consignee.
He added that according to witnesses the vessel's crewmembers sometimes accept raw native chickens and other domesticated animals in exchange of the rice.
According to Amora, the vessel arrived from Vietnam last week and unloaded some 66,300 sacks of imported Vietnam rice at the Surigao City port.
According to the ship's manifest, the vessel was carrying 70,000 sacks of imported rice from Vietnam but it only unloaded 66,300 sacks in Surigao, which was received and certified by NFA officials, Amora said.
The foreign vessel was heading towards Medina in Misamis Oriental to load copra before proceeds to Vietnam when authorities intercepted the ship at the Punta Diwata Point in Vinapor, Carmen, Agusan del Norte.
Residents in the area reported the sale of alleged pilfered NFA rice to authorities.
A police report said crewmembers were selling a sack of rice at P750.00 at first but on the following day it was already sold at P850.00.
A check made by Sun.Star at nearby areas such as in Nasipit town some enterprising ambulant vendors were selling a sack of rice believed to be part of the pilfered NFA rice at P1,000 to P 1,200 per sack.
Amora said they are still awaiting order from the Bureau of Customs for a joint inspection of the ship.
Some residents in the area said similar incidents occurred on ships anchored at the coastal village of Vinapor along the coastline that straddles Agusan and Butuan Bay
They claimed that even a barge carrying petrol oil, rice and other cargoes were seen converging in the area for few hours and then left.
The area is the exit and entry point of trading ships that come from Cagayan de Oro, going to Gingoog City and Camiguin province, all in Misamis Oriental, Surigao, Butuan and Agusan province. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro)
(September 26, 2006 issue)
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