Leyte’s ‘typhoon rice shipment’ hangs; case sent to Manila

THE 16,000 sacks of rice intended for typhoon victims in Leyte will have to wait in Cebu for the Bureau of Customs to finish its investigation of the cargo which arrived with incomplete documents.

“The rice may be needed by the typhoon victims in Isabel, Leyte but there are procedures and rules that we all have to meet,” said newly appointed Cebu District Collector Roberto Almadin.

He said his office forwarded all documents of the case to the central office in Manila for resolution.

Almadin, a retired military general, said the consignees of the rice shipment should have followed procedures instead of blaming their office.

“Why did they send it through Cebu when it was headed for Leyte?” he said.

Dante Maranan, the district collector’s chief of staff, said the cargo ship M/V Queen of Joy arrived in Cebu with no shipping permit and notice of arrival to cover the cargo.

“If the quantity of the shipment is more than 3,000 sacks even though it’s a domestic shipment, they still have to present a shipment permit (indicating the point of origin),” Maranan said. “We already sent samples of rice to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Manila since we don’t have facilities here to determine if the rice was imported or not,” he added.

Last week, Mayor Gregorio Cerillo of Isabel, Leyte and Ramon Tan, the president of the Association of the Barangay Captains (ABC) arrived in Cebu and said the rice shipment was facilitated by the Philippine Phosphate Corp. (Philpos).

The two officials asked the BOC last week to release the shipment which the municipal government purchased from Maunlad Rice Mill in Bulacan.

They also presented the receipts last week to prove that they have purchased the 16,000 sacks of rice from Maunlad Rice Mill.