Camacho grilled by CA members

Members of the finance committee of the Commission on Appointments grilled Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho yesterday over the unsolved problem of smuggling, estimated at P60 billion to P100 billion a year, and low revenue collections.

Reps. Clavel Martinez (Cebu), Raul del Mar (Cebu City), Bellaflor Angara Castillo (Aurora), Gerry Espina (Biliran) and Narciso Monfort (Iloilo), all expressed concern over the problems of smuggling besetting the country.

Sen. Ralph Recto, chairman of the CA committee on finance, said that various studies estimated smuggling activities to cost the government from P60 billion to P100 billion a year. Among the many items smuggled are rice, sugar, garlic, onion, chicken parts, luxury vehicles, scooters, motorcycles, appliances, and computer sets.

Martinez said that while she was impressed by the "excellent credentials" of Camacho, she could not help but believe that he is "like a castrated bull" in fighting smuggling.

She cited the disappearance, not only of thousands of sacks of smuggled rice at the Cebu port, but also of the ships M/V Great Faith and M/V Panda that were used to transport the contraband items.

Del Mar said that smugglers move their operations whenever they feel the heat in one place.

Camacho admitted that the problem of smuggling is "daunting, overwhelming" to a newcomer at the finance department like him, but he vowed to do everything to curb it.