Duterte warns rice smugglers in Davao

MAYOR Rodrigo Duterte BING GONZALES/ INQUIRER MINDANAO

DAVAO CITY—Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has warned rice importers to stop smuggling in the city or he will be forced to suspend their business permits if customs or revenue officials ask for his help.

“Do not fight with me, I will make your life miserable,” Duterte said over his Sunday television program, “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” following reports of smuggling in Davao City.

“If the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), (Bureau of) Customs, the President or trade and industry officials ask for my help, I am duty-bound to cancel your permit. So I’m issuing this warning: Stop it,” he said, adding that the warning covers “everybody connected with smuggling, everything from cars to, most especially, rice.”

Over the past few months, customs officials have put on hold a number of rice shipments at the Davao port that have no import permits. Some rice importing companies, however, questioned the Philippine government’s continued imposition of import permits when the quantitative restrictions on rice trading, which limit the entry of rice into the Philippines, expired in June under the World Trade Organization-General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

“This simply means import permits are no longer needed for rice to enter the country, provided the tariff rate of 50 percent is paid by the importer, subject to compliance with customs procedures,” said lawyer Benito Salazar, representing the firms Silent Royalty Marketing and Starcraft International who cried foul over accusations that they smuggled rice into this port.

Duterte said cheap rice imports were killing local farmers, whose interest was the government’s duty to protect.

“As a matter of fact, you will compete with local farmers. Even at farm gate prices, the Filipino farmers are dead. I have to protect the small against the big ones,” Duterte said, addressing importers and telling them to stop shipping in their smuggled rice to Davao City as they await the court’s decision.

“There’s a legal controversy there, so let’s leave it to the courts to decide,” he said.

“But if you do, the fastest you can lose will be your business permits, and maybe your pants,” he said.

“Once your business permits are canceled, I will ask the BIR to inspect your property and whether you’ve been paying taxes in the last five years. I will make your life miserable,” he said. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao