Consignees of missing shipments face charges

MANILA, Philippines - Unfazed by calls for his resignation, Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez announced yesterday the filing of smuggling charges against consignees and brokers believed to be responsible for the disappearance of cargoes loaded in 1,900 containers bound for Batangas from the Port of Manila.

In a briefing at the Department of Justice, Alvarez said respondents in the case were officials and representatives of Sea Eagle Trading, LCN Trading and Moncelian Enterprises. He said the firms are no longer allowed to do business with the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

But Alvarez urged the accused consignees, brokers and customs personnel to consider acting as state witnesses and “provide the missing pieces of information that would lead to the identification of the brains and financier behind this scam.”

Also named respondents were licensed customs brokers Araceli Arellano, Merlyne Reyes and Diosdado Bagon. The three allegedly assisted in the processing and facilitation of the release of the missing cargo early this year, depriving the government of some P240 million in revenues. Eight individuals working for Bagon have also been named respondents in the case.

The cargoes were mostly plastic resins, textiles, foodstuff, personal effects, and household products from China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Based on the charge sheet, a total of 2,219 containers covered by transshipment permits were processed between January and May this year at both the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Manila.

However, of the 2,219 transshipped containers, the Batangas District Office acknowledged receipt of only 309 containers.

“There is reason to believe that the transshipped imported goods were diverted by the accused and their cohorts to evade payment of Customs duties and taxes, in palpable violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines and other related laws,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he has already recommended the filing of administrative charges against 14 BOC officials linked to the anomaly.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Rep. Juan “Jack” Enrile Jr. urged the BOC yesterday to tap global positioning system (GPS) technology to ensure stricter monitoring of shipments in government-operated terminals.

He said GPS technology would ensure real-time tracking of cargo and prevent disappearance or diversion of shipments that result in millions or even billions of pesos in foregone revenues.

The lawmaker said the government may also encourage private terminal operators to adopt a similar system to prevent smuggling.

“By using GPS technology in government port operations, we are not only making the task of tracking all shipments passing through these ports easier and more efficient, we are also saving the government huge amounts of money every year from potential losses due to smuggling,” Enrile said.

“This will also benefit legitimate importers who will feel more secure that their cargo will reach their destination,” he said.

He noted that in the first half of this year, the BOC posted a collection shortfall amounting to more than P13 billion.

Citing Department of Finance data, Enrile said the BOC collected only P128.557 billion from January to June this year, way below its P142.34-billion collection target for the period.

Enrile said the BOC should already require shipping firms using its ports and facilities to install GPS trackers in every container van.

He noted that GPS technology is already being widely used by local and international shipping and logistics firms for smoother operations through real-time monitoring of their shipments. - With Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan