PASG accuser faces P1.4-billion misdeclaration case

MANILA, Philippines - The head of a private Customs brokers group demanding the abolition of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has a pending P1.4-billion misdeclaration case and his accreditation with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) remains suspended, officials said yesterday.

A PASG statement said the accreditation of Agapito Mendez, president of the Professional Customs Brokers Association of the Philippines Inc., “remained suspended to date as such he has no personality to officially act as broker before the bureau.”

The confirmation was issued by Customs Accreditation Secretariat executive director Zsae Carrie de Guzman after PASG administration and finance director Jeffrey Patawaran inquired on Mendez’s status. 

De Guzman, however, failed to provide the grounds for the suspension of Mendez’s accreditation, the PASG said.

PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar said in a statement that Mendez may have filed his complaint before the House of Representatives after PASG started investigating him regarding the misdeclaration of 5,000 shipping containers of textiles and plastic resin.

The PASG said Mendez paid only P1.2 million for the shipment through a warehousing entry scheme, but should have paid about P1.4 billion in taxes and duties if the shipment had been properly filed under the regular consumption entries process.

He said Mendez was also charged with violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines for diverting a shipment of 573 rolls of fabrics consigned to New River Apparel Inc. 

Based on records, the fabric shipment was to be delivered to the warehouse of New River in Taytay Rizal, but was instead diverted to the Best Print Textile Finishing warehouse in Meycauayan, Bulacan.

Villar said smugglers are behind the latest effort to malign the image of the PASG and have the agency abolished. He said “millions of pesos changed hands to support the unholy alliance of personalities with the grand design to abolish the PASG,” but did not elaborate.

He said Mendez and lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan was “able to mislead Albay Rep. Francis Bichara and some members of the House of Representatives” into calling for the agency’s abolition.

Mendez, who accused the PASG of extorting money from Customs brokers, said the agency “is no different from the kidnap gangs” in Mindanao that demand millions of pesos or dollars in ransom.

“Alentajan and Mendez have an axe to grind against PASG since the lawyer is the defense counsel of accused jewelry smuggler Alpha Kwok,” Villar said.

Some P250 million worth of jewelry, wristwatches and precious stones believed to have been smuggled were seized from Kwok’s residence several weeks ago.