PASG, oil firms clash over impounded oil

The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) foiled yesterday what it described as an attempt by a suspected dummy oil firm working with some corrupt officials of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to sneak out its impounded petroleum products from a port in Bataan.

PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar said Unioil is suspected to be a dummy of the controversial Oilink Inc., one of the few oil firms charged by PASG for allegedly defrauding the government of hundreds of millions worth of taxes through technical smuggling.

“The charges led to the grounding of Oilink products at the Mariveles Port until after it settled its obligation to the government worth hundreds of millions,” Villar said.

“But it appeared that Oilink made Unioil as its front to be able to withdraw its products. Eventually, concerned Customs officials in Bataan suspended (Unioil’s) accreditation due to its possible connection with Oilink,” he added.

Lawyer Raymond Zorrilla, representing Oilink, said they will file charges of robbery, usurpation of authority and physical injury against PASG operatives – led by a suspended BOC executive – who barged into their facility in Mariveles.

Oilink owns the terminal in Bataan while Unioil and other oil companies lease shore tanks within the facility.  

Zorrilla also warned of a supply shortage among the gasoline stations of Unioil and other companies to which they supply fuel.

He also said they would seek an injunction possibly from a Bataan court today to stop the takeover.

Mark de Leon, operations supervisor of the terminal, said the men initially refused to identify themselves and did not even present a search warrant or a mission order.

After the takeover, Villar and Limay District Customs Collector Edward Baltazar arrived at the scene.

The group said the takeover was supposedly brought about by allegations that shipments of oil were being “illegally withdrawn,” which means the move was not covered by a release order, from the terminal to the gas stations.

Zorrilla said the PASG men even claimed there was such an incident Sunday night and that they were just trying to prevent a repeat of it. He denied the allegation.

“How can there be illegal withdrawal when the shipments of Unioil have been cleared and ordered released by no less than the Commissioner of Customs?” Kenneth Pundanera, another company official, said in a statement.

“Besides, what is the authority of Collector Baltazar to question us when it has been published last September that he was suspended by the Ombudsman as district collector for three months?” he said.

Pundanera said all the taxes and duties for the shipments of Unioil have been paid, which he said was basis of the release order issued by BOC head Napoleon Morales.

Villar airs side

Villar said as PASG operatives were sealing the valves that were allegedly used to siphon off oil to barges and tankers, some BOC officials tried to intervene.

PASG Director for Operations and National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Edmund Arugay said Oilink owes the government about P2.7 billion in taxes.

Villar said some BOC personnel facilitated the withdrawal of Unioil products recently, and Baltazar drew the PASG’s attention to the activity.

An accounting of the missing petroleum products is ongoing and charges will be filed against those behind this anomaly.

According to PASG, Unioil and Oilink tried to mislead authorities by claiming they are separate firms, but a subsequent investigation showed that a certain Paul Chi Thing Co owns both firms.