Anti-Smuggling Act certified as urgent

President Arroyo has certified as urgent a bill seeking to impose the death penalty on convicted smugglers.

Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes said House Bill 4069 defines the smuggling of goods worth more than P50 million as a heinous crime to be punished by life imprisonment or death and a fine of P10 million.

"In certifying the passage of a tougher anti-smuggling law, the President is sending a strong message to smugglers that their rightful place is behind bars," he said.

Billions of pesos in government revenues are lost to smuggling every year, he added.

Reyes, who also heads the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Anti-Smuggling (COCAS), said the bill seeks a minimum imprisonment of two to six years for people convicted of smuggling goods worth between P20,000 and P100,000.

"The penalties are quite stiff, making smuggling a high-risk endeavor," he said.

The bill also aims to require exporters to the Philippines to send to the Bureau of Customs and Philippine Ports Authority advance copies of documents covering their shipments 48 hours before arrival of the goods, he added.

During the eighth COCAS meeting in Makati City last Tuesday, business groups expressed their support for the immediate passage of the tough anti-smuggling bill.

Among those present at the meeting was Jesus Arranza, Federation of Philippine Industries president.

Meanwhile, Reyes, also Task Force on Anti-Smuggling commander, said his men recently seized smuggled vegetables and fruits, canned goods, right-hand drive vehicles, crude oil, land, and even guns and ammunition. — Michael Punongbayan, Jaime Laude