Sacks of smuggled sugar seized in Zambo disappear

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar

ZAMBOANGA CITY— Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar blew her top when she was informed on Friday that more than half of the 1,171 sacks of Malaysian sugar, which were seized by police and the Philippine Coast Guard for being smuggled, have disappeared.

Salazar rushed to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) office here and confronted district collector Miguel Saquisami after being told that the BOC has in its custody only 326 sacks of sugar earlier seized from ML Ylaiza Maye V in Barangay (village) Bolong here.

“I cannot understand, I cannot comprehend,” said the mayor. She said a report by the police and Coast Guard, and an inventory by the two law enforcement agencies showed the amount of sugar seized was 1,171 sacks.

“Now, it’s 326? What happened?” said Salazar, demanding an explanation from Saquisami.

In a report, which was also obtained by the Inquirer on Wednesday, Coast Guard district commander Lt. Senior Grade Jomark Angue said Coast Guard men seized and turned over 1,171 sacks of smuggled sugar from Malaysia to the Customs bureau.

But Saquisami told Salazar that the actual number of sacks that the bureau received from the Coast Guard was only 376.

Coast Guard sure

Angue denied this.

“We waited during the unloading of sacks of sugar from the apprehended vessel to the warehouse until the last sack,” Angue said, maintaining that Coast Guard men had counted a total of 1,171 sacks.

Saquisami insisted that the Coast Guard only made an estimate but the actual inventory showed that only 326 sacks were seized.

“We have the actual count,” said the Customs official.

A fuming Climaco-Salazar demanded an official report from Saquisami, which she said would have been available already since the goods were turned over to the Customs office on Jan. 6 yet.

Saquisami disputed the mayor’s argument, saying the Customs report is not yet ready as seized goods from other vessels are still being inventoried.

“Not all of the cargo had been counted because maybe some (sacks) contained agar-agar,” he said.

The mayor later told reporters she did not buy Saquisami’s explanation and added that she would call for an investigation immediately.

“We will not tolerate illegal activities and smuggling in Zaamboanga City,” said the mayor. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao