OPASCOR, Customs investigate rice pilferage

CEBU, Philippines - The Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation (OPASCOR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) are conducting separate investigation on the reported pilferage of seized rice bags at the Cebu International Port (CIP).

OPASCOR General Manager Tomas Riveral said that he already instructed the Human Resource and Operations Manager to conduct an investigation together with their investigating committee.

The investigation is being conducted amid insinuations that some personnel of OPASCOR and Cebu Port Authority could be involved in the said pilferage.

BOC-Cebu District Collector Edward dela Cuesta said that reportedly, 160 bags of rice were missing, which are part of the more than 500,000 bags of smuggled rice amounting to P1.2 billion seized by BOC two months ago.

Of the over 500,000 bags of rice, BOC-Cebu successfully bid out the 26,013 bags amounting to P40,953,852 last month.

Riveral also hopes that an independent investigation will be conducted by a government agency outside of BOC and CPA to get down to the bottom of the issue.

“These cargoes were in the full control and jurisdiction of the Bureau of Customs,” said Riveral.

OPASCOR, established in 1990, is the exclusive cargo handling service provider of the CIP and is the first cargo handling company to be fully-owned and operated by its workers.

BOC Commissioner Ruffy Biazon in a separate interview said that investigation on the matter is already on-going.

Dela Cuesta added that theft charges awaits those found liable for the disappearance of the said shipment.

Dela Cuesta further said that the BOC badly need a warehouse wherein they can stock their seized smuggled items as they have none.

“Sa ngayon wala talaga tayong mapaglagyan sa lahat ng nahuli natin. Ideally, dapat talaga ilagay yan sa Customs warehouse, eh kaso nga wala,” dela Cuesta said.

BOC Port of Cebu used to have a warehouse inside the CPA compound but this was gutted by fire a few years ago.  (FREEMAN)