Marcos orders ops vs. smugglers

MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to run after rice smugglers and hoarders as prices of rice soar across the country.

Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address in July, said the government will go after smugglers and hoarders of agricultural commodities that unreasonably jack up the prices, and directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct a thorough investigation to address even the issue of onion smuggling.

Over 1,359 tons of Vietnam rice worth some P68 million were seized by the Philippine Navy from a Mongolian-registered vessel MV Diamond 8 off Zamboanga Sibugay province in southern Philippines in 2018. President Ferdinand Marcos has ordered an intensified operation against rice smugglers in the country.

He, also the Agriculture secretary, said the continued illegal activities make the lives of ordinary Filipinos miserable. He told BOC to continue its warehouse raids to quell hoarders and illegal importers of rice.

BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio confirmed the order and said they are doubling efforts to hunt down illegal importers of agricultural goods by validating all warehouses, particularly on imported rice. “As per the directive of the President, ang gagawin po natin is we will validate all warehouses that are storing imported rice and then upon validation we will issue letters of authority to conduct inspection on these warehouses,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the BOC is closely working with the Department of Justice on the filing of charges against smugglers who have been apprehended in various operations in the country.

“Doon po sa mga nakasuhan, tuloy-tuloy naman po kaming nagfa-file ng kaso and now we are in close collaboration, coordination with DOJ para mapabilis ‘yung pagsampa ng kaso at pag-file ng charges against the smugglers po na nahuli natin, na-identify natin,” he said. 

Just recently, BOC personnel conducted a surprise inspection in rice warehouses - Great Harvest Rice Mill Warehouse, located at Intercity Industrial Complex; San Pedro Warehouse Intercity Industrial Complex; and, FS Rice Mill Warehouse in Balagtas town in Bulacan province.

The warehouses contain imported rice from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand with an initial estimated aggregate value of P505 million and its owners were told to prove they paid the necessary duties for the goods. (Mindanao Examiner)