Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that the government should go after the big fishes in the smuggling syndicates in the Philippines following the admission of Customs chief Rufino Biazon that he was under “increasing pressure” to release a shipment of rice from India worth P450 million.
In his impassioned privilege speech during the plenary session of the Senate Wednesday, Enrile also called on senators to launch a thorough inquiry into the smuggling activities in the country.
Enrile, speaking in Tagalog, said that authorities should not only go after small workers of the Bureau of Customs and its executive but focus also on the financiers and backers of smugglers.
“Let’s not allow the big fishes to get away. Throw them in jail so they will learn a valuable lesson… Whoever they are, whoever their backers are they should be jailed in Muntinlupa,” Enrile said.
According to Enrile, authorities should strike at the root of smuggling.
“Let us put an end to smuggling. Let us help the President improve the economy; let us help cultivate the agriculture in our country. If not, let us not talk about the economy,” Enrile said.
In urging concerned committees of the Senate to look into the problem, Enrile said fighting smuggling will be a test case for them that will determine the degree of their commitment to clean the system.
Enrile ended his speech with his popular election soundbite: “Para happy tayong lahat (So that we will all be happy!)”
On Tuesday, Biazon admitted that they have been under pressure to let go of their biggest haul which they will seize next week. The cargoes in question were 450,000 50-kilogram sacks of rice which were not claimed at the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales last April.
Biazon said that pressure groups claimed that the shipment was not for Philippine consumption but it was destined for Indonesia.
Last week, the BOC also seized 90 containers of smuggled rice from Vietnam.