Customs team spends only 17 hours in Cebu

CEBU CITY — Just 17 hours.

That was the entire time spent in Cebu by a team of investigators from the Bureau of Customs’ head office in Manila which looked into the mysterious disappearance of the cargo ship MV Great Faith and its cargo of 20,000 bags of smuggled rice.

The ship disappeared from Customs custody on Dec. 25 and has not been seen since, despite a sea and air search that cost the government at least P1 million a day.

The investigators arrived in Cebu at 7 p.m. last Friday and flew back to Manila at noon Saturday after getting statements from only seven Customs officials.

Bolivar Puno, of the Bureau of Customs’ internal inquiry and prosecution division, and Neme—sio Magno of the bureau’s intelligence unit, said they could not conduct a more thorough inquiry because most of the people they had come to interview had gone on leave for the holidays and could not be contacted.

So far, they had only the statements of Cebu district collector Roberto Sacramento, deputy collector Santiago Maravillas, Customs police district commander Ronald Pasion and Eliseo Gealan of the Customs’ intelligence unit.

They also talked to Rogaciano Ceniza Jr., chief of Customs intelligence in Cebu; Alexander Atienza, Customs intelligence chief for the Visayas and Mindanao; and intelligence officer Jerry Arrizabal.

For lack of other available witnesses such as Customs policeman Julius Caesar Villarin, the guard on duty when the Great Faith "escaped" but who has since gone into hiding, the inquiry has been put off for January.

Villarin left his post on Christmas Eve to change clothes and be with his family. When he came back, the P15-million cargo ship and its P18-million cargo had disappeared.

Suspicions immediately focused on the possible connivance of Customs officials and personnel with the ship’s officers.

Aside from the Customs’ internal investigation, President Arroyo has ordered a separate fact-finding committee to look into the case.

The Great Faith was apprehended on Sept. 13 this year and was forfeited in favor of the government, along with its cargo, on Dec. 12.

But the ship’s disappearance on Dec. 25 was only one of the many incidents that aroused suspicions.

One was the move to bring back Sacramento as district collector, replacing Maravillas who had assumed the post in an acting capacity.

As things turned out, the newly reinstalled Sacramento was not at his post when the ship disappeared.

Also, since the apprehension of both ship and cargo, no move was undertaken to transfer custody of the seized rice from Customs to the National Food Authority, as required by regulations.

And Customs never made any attempt to acquire ownership of the ship despite its forfeiture.

Then there was Villarin as the sole guard of the ship who conveniently went home to change clothes and be with his family on Christmas Eve. When he came back, the ship was gone.

Moreover, the sea and air search involving several Navy patrol boats, two Air Force helicopters and an Air Force Nomad plane continued to fail to locate the ship. — Freeman News Service