5 rice traders in Senate custody

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate yesterday took custody of five rice traders who were ordered to attend the hearings on the smuggling of rice at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SMBA).

The rice traders were identified as Juanito David, Maximo Hernandez, Elpidio Mendoza, Emily Alabada and Crisanta Reyes.

They were accompanied by Candaba Mayor Gerry Pelayo.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture, said he would consult his colleagues to set a hearing possibly next week to confront the rice traders on why they eluded the Senate investigations.

Alabada and Reyes were locked up at the Senate detention area while the rest were housed at the Senate Day Care Center building with Magdangal Diego Bayani III, who remained under custody since his arrest last Oct. 17.

The Senate last week moved to have 21 rice traders arrested for ignoring the Senate summons for them to appear in the rice smuggling probes.

The Senate is conducting a probe on the alleged collusion among locators at SBMA and some rice traders after the Bureau of Customs early this year seized tons of rice from India smuggled through SBMA. The seized rice had no necessary import permits.