Zamboanga City council seeks Aquino’s help to stop rice smuggling

UNDER cover of darkness, a shipment of suspected smuggled rice is unloaded at a private wharf in Zamboanga City recently. JOREM GARCIA/CONTRIBUTOR

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The city council is appealing to President Benigno Aquino III for help to stop what a council resolution said was the rampant smuggling of rice that Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar likened to a “pest” that was killing local farmers.

In a resolution passed last week, the council also called on the Bureau of Customs to organize an independent body to investigate the smuggling and on the Senate blue ribbon committee to conduct a parallel investigation.

Councilor Charlie Mariano, the resolution’s main author, said the city was becoming a haven for smugglers who appeared to be operating with impunity.

Mariano did not provide details, but records from law enforcement agencies here showed that tons of rice had been smuggled into the city and seized in recent months.

In September, police seized at least 8,000 sacks of rice, believed to be smuggled, from a ship docked at the port here.

In August, some P3.2 million worth of jasmine rice was also intercepted off Sta. Cruz Island.

In April, a small boat carrying some P7 million worth of Malaysian rice was also intercepted by the Philippine Navy as it was sailing to the city.

Mariano said the city was either being used as a transshipment point for rice smuggled from Vietnam and Malaysia or as a market for the contraband.

The smuggled goods, he said, were being brought in through Tawi-Tawi province or Sulu province.

“There are no huge rice fields in Tawi-Tawi or Sulu, yet thousands of sacks of rice are being brought in from there,” Mariano said.

He said he had wondered why the rampant smuggling could not be stopped.

Councilor Kim Elago said reports of local policemen’s involvement in the smuggling might have basis. He said he received information that at least four policemen had links to smugglers.

Senior Supt. Angelito Casimiro, city police chief, said he had not received any report about policemen involved in smuggling but that he would order an investigation.

Last month, Salazar also asked former Sen. Francis Pangilinan, de facto agriculture secretary, to provide guidelines in apprehending smuggled rice because several cargoes bearing questionable documents had been released after these were apprehended by police. Liza Jocson, Inquirer Mindanao

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