Customs seizes smuggled rice; Alvarez warns name droppers

MANILA, Philippines - Four container vans loaded with premium white rice but misdeclared as fishmeal by its importer have been impounded on orders of Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez.

The illegal shipment with a dutiable value of P3 million was discovered last Friday (Dec. 3) after undergoing X-ray scanning examination at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagaloan,  Misamis Oriental.

Alvarez said he has issued an order that all containerized shipments being unloaded in regional ports and provincial sub-ports be subjected to X-ray examination following reports that rice and sugar smugglers have moved their illegal operation out of the Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port.

The seizure order was recommended by lawyer Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang, head of BOC’s X-ray inspection project, who personally oversaw the X-ray scanning of the contraband.

Alvarez said he sent Mangaoang and Customs Enforcement and Security Services acting director Jose Yuchongco to Misamis Oriental to belie the misinformation being peddled by some quarters that the smuggling of rice and sugar had the tacit blessing of the customs commissioner.

“Misusing my name,” said Alvarez, “could be likened to a death wish because I have issued instructions to all customs collectors to immediately put on alert and subject to 100 percent inspection all the shipments of importers who would invoke my name in any illegal transaction.”

The four 20-foot containers, disclosed Mangaoang, came from Vietnam on board the vessel MV Capella of American President Lines. They were consigned to Cagayan do Oro-based Deoden Enterprises.

Mangaoang said the shipper, Sin Hua Enterprises, obviously misdeclared the shipment as fish meal to avoid payment of the correct duties and taxes and skirt other regulatory requirements such as an import permit from the National Food Authority.

Imported rice has a duty rate of 50 percent, much higher than the five percent duty on fish meal.

The spot check conducted by Yuchongco and Tagoloan Port Collector Lowell L. Medija revealed that the  four container vans contained white rice in 50 kilogram sacks totaling 1,600.