Customs charges importer, broker for smuggling P187-M worth of rice from Vietnam
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has filed charges against an importer and broker for illegally importing 200 containers of rice worth P187 million.
Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said charged for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) were the officers of Santa Rosa Farms Products Corp., namely: Jomerito Soliman, president and general manager; Dolores Opancia, chief financial officer; and Mary Grace Cayanan and Marileen S. Avañez, directors; and customs broker Diosdado M. Santiago.
Lapeña said the rice shipment arrived in June at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from Vietnam without the required import permit from the National Food Authority (NFA).
Last July 13, the 150 containers were ordered forfeited in favor of the government while the 50 containers were declared abandoned by MICP District Collector Vener Baquiran.
On July 17 and 18, the rice shipment was sold in a public auction for an estimated P178 million.
One of the respondents, Jomerito Soliman, was also named respondent in another rice smuggling case filed by the BOC last June 21, 2017.
Under RA 10845, agricultural smuggling, including rice worth P10 million and above, is economic sabotage, a non-bailable offense.
RA 10845 also penalizes agricultural smugglers and their cohorts with life imprisonment, and a fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled agricultural products and the aggregate amount of the taxes/duties/charges avoided.
On Thursday, the BoC also seized about 10,000 bags of imported rice worth some P25 million in a warehouse in Calamba, Laguna. WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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