BOC x-ray, inspection team seeks sole right to alert orders

CEBU, Philippines - The head of the Bureau of Customs-Xray Inspection Project has requested BOC district collector Ronnie Silvestre to disallow other units in the bureau from interfering with the duties and functions of BOC-XIP.

BOC-XIP head Lourdes Mangaoang said this can be prevented if other departments are barred from applying for the issuance of alert/hold orders.

Mangaoang raised the concern after Silvestre granted the recommendation of the Enforcement and Security Services-Cebu for an alert order against a shipment, container van no. NYKU 5962407, which was declared to contain personal effects, but, after scanning and x-ray, was found to actually contain two motorcycles.

Silvestre reportedly acted upon the recommendation even in the presence of a similar request from Ronald Dadole, officer-in-charge of the BOC-XIP Cebu Field Office last November 2011.

Mangaoang said Dadole’s request for the issuance of an alert order was not given due course as it was already past office hours. However, on the same day, Silvestre gave due course to the ESS-Cebu recommendation.

Dadole had taken cognizance over the gate pass of the shipment and other documents related to it.

“In this incident, when the shipment was x-ray scanned and spot-checked, the only BOC personnel present were XIP operatives and the spot-checkers of the Office of the District Collector of the Port of Cebu. What is the basis of (the) ESS-Cebu when they requested for the issuance of an Alert Order since they have no personal knowledge thereof? From the above, nowhere can we see the participation of the ESS in the x-ray inspection, the manual examination or the portable x-ray inspection of consolidated shipments. How can they have personal knowledge of the violation committed as basis for the issuance of the Alert Order?” Mangaoang said in a memorandum to Silvestre.

Mangaoang said BOC rules and regulations provide that containerized shipments that have undergone x-ray scanning and subject for verification should only be examined in the presence of the concerned XIP personnel.

She added it is highly ironic that XIP personnel who are rendering overtime duty without pay and would discover a violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP), say, a misdeclaration, would not be given due credit and another agency would.

Mangaoang asked Silvestre not to issue an Alert/Hold Order to other units if the shipment in question remains under the jurisdiction of the X-ray Inspection Project. — (FREEMAN)