Leyte officials to Customs: Release rice cargo

CEBU, Philippines - “Dili intawon na sa smuggled ang bugas.  Para intawon na sa among katawhan sa (That rice is not smuggled rice. That is for our people in) Isabel, Leyte.”

This was the statement made by Isabel, Leyte Mayor Marcos Gregorio Cerillo addressed to the Bureau of Customs-Cebu, which put on hold the release of 15,997 sacks of rice on board MV Queen of Joy.

In a press conference in Cebu City, Cerillo said the shipment came from Bulacan and is intended as aid for his 40,000 constituents affected by super typhoon Yolanda.

Cerillo explained that the rice shipment is not a smuggled as it only made a side-trip in Cebu to unload some of the shipment for repacking.

He said the warehouse of consignee Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. (Philphos) in his town was damaged and could not accommodate such huge volume of cargo, especially that there are still other relief goods at the said warehouse.

Ramon Tan, president of the Association of Barangay Captains in Isabel, Leyte, aid that the shipment is for relief assistance and not illegal cargo.

“Ang bugas para gyud sa taga (The rice is really for the people of) Isabel, Leyte. Nihapit ra ang barko sa (It just dropped by) Cebu aron sa pag-unload sa bugas. Pero dili sab tanan para anhi i-repack kay dili masulod ang tanang bugas sa (to unload some sacks. But not all rice unloaded in Cebu is for repacking also. It is just that everything cannot be accommodated by our) warehouse sa Philphos,” said Tan, who is also vice president of Philphos port operations.

He said the vessel will also get 12,000 packs of relief goods from the office of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano here in Cebu intended for Isabel and its neighboring towns.

Tan said this is not the first time that Philphos and Cayetano extended help to the typhoon victims.

“Kung wala pa nitabang ang Philphos ug si Senator Alan nga niadto gyod sa (Had Philphos and Sen. Cayetano, who really visited us, not helped) Isabel, Leyte, ambot lang pwerte na tingale gutoma sa katawhan didto (the residents of Isabel would have been so hungry by now)” the mayor said.

He and Tan appealed for the Bureau of Customs (BOC) that the rice shipment be released as soon as possible.

“Ako na ning (We did) gi-announce last week pa nga dili sila angayan mahadlok nga magutman kay adunay usa ka barkong bugas nga muabot. Among gihangyo ang mga opisyales sa (that they should not worry of getting hungry because there is a shipload of rice coming. We are requesting the officers of) Customs (to already) nga unta e-release na nila ang bugas (our rice),” the mayor said.

Tan said constituents consume 500 sacks of rice daily and the said shipment is expected to last them a month.

Cerillo said that as of yesterday, their existing relief packs are only good for at least a week more.

Based on documents presented to the media yesterday, Philphos paid P27,194,900 at P1,700 per sack to Maunlad Ricemill Corporation in Batangas for the sacks of rice.

One document, which Cerillo noted, showed Alma Mañosa of the Isabel Municipal Social Welfare Development Offfice stating that the rice cargo has to be unloaded in Cebu City for warehousing and repacking.

“In good faith ni among gibuhat (we did this). This is for noble purpose,” Tan said.

He added, though, that Philphos’s warehouse in Isabel can now accommodate the shipment since it has been a week since the rice was put on hold.

“Medyo luag na ang among (There is now space in our) warehouse sa (in) Isabel, Leyte. Dili na lang na i-unload ang bugas sa (We would no longer have some sacks unloaded in) Cebu. It takes mga four days pa before na ma-distrubute ang bugas, if ever i-release na nila,” Tan further said.

Philphos is a company manufacturing fertilizer for the past 30 years and its main plant is in Isabel, Leyte.

According to Tan, their plant is severely damaged, with an estimated cost of P10 billion, particularly on its infrastructure and products.

In an interview, BOC-Cebu Chief of Staff Dante Maranan said the documents presented by Philphos were already forwarded to their Law Division for assessment.

Earlier, Customs required Philphos to present a certificate of donation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, as well as shipping permit from the National Food Authority, for the shipment.

“We already submitted all the documents they asked last Friday. Pero ambot nila og nganong gidugay-dugay na nila og (I do not know why they are dilly-dallying in the) release ang bugas nga (of the rice when it is a) local shipment ra man na (only),” said the person who submitted the required documents.  He declined to be identified.—/RHM (FREEMAN)