SC order allowing BOC to seize rice shipment helps drive vs smuggling—group

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – An agriculture industry group lauded the Supreme Court for stopping the Davao court injunction against the Bureau of Customs’ seizure of a rice shipment that did not have an import permit.

Rosendo So, Abono party-list chair and president of the group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, called the Supreme Court ruling a “step in the right direction,” to “bolster the government’s campaign against rice smuggling.”

Bureau of Customs (BoC) Davao Port district collector Ernesto Aradanas, however, informed his staff he would not issue a statement until after getting a copy of the Supreme Court ruling.

“This is a positive development in our campaign against smuggled rice,” So said in a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“It has always been our position that the quantitative restriction on rice, which requires importation permits, is still in effect. If there is no importation permit, then that shipment is considered smuggled,” So added.

The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Davao City Regional Trial Court Judge Emmanuel Carpio of Branch 16, who earlier issued an injunction to prevent the BoC from seizing a shipment of Starcraft International.

Aradanas, a former army brigadier general assigned in Maguindanao, has taken over the post of the new district collector, Port of Davao, after former acting district collector Datu Samson Pacasum and and deputy district collector Edward James DyBuco were reassigned following the release of shipment of Starcraft International after Carpio issued an injunction against the Bureau of Customs.

Local media have been complaining about the lack of transparency at the Port of Davao. Media were only allowed up to the BOC gate. Before, the media were allowed up to the stairway, kept away from the collector’s office on the second floor.

Samuel Bomulo, customs police, said this was a directive issued by the new district collector after he assumed office.

Fatima Espino, BoC computer operator 3, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the district collector would only answer questions from the media in a press conference the BOC scheduled once a month.

So said the Supreme Court order affirmed the power of the BoC to seize a rice shipment that had no importation permit in Davao City. Following the Carpio’s order on the Davao shipment, Manila RTC Branch 54 Judge Maria Paz Reyes-Yson also granted Starcraft’s petition for injunction on December 20, last year; and Executive Judge Eutiquio Quitain of the RTC Branch 5 in Lemery, Batangas also issued an order in favor of the shipment of Bold Bidder Marketing and General Merchandise.

“These smugglers are not just evading tax payment. They are also manipulating the price of domestically produced rice,” So said.

“They buy local rice, hoard it, and then sell it at a higher price. They are acting like a cartel in manipulating the price of rice,” he added.

So also urged the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Food Authority, and the BoC to intensify the fight against rice smugglers. “There should really be an active campaign against these smugglers because they are killing (the livelihood) of our local farmers,” So said.

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