Executives of Manila South Harbor’s port operator, 21 importers and customs brokers were charged over the illegal release of 105 shipping containers that had been covered by an alert order by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on suspicion of being smuggled.
The bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers filed the case at the Department of Justice on Friday.
Among those named in the complaint were Steve Realuyo, assistant vice president for Manila South Harbor operations of Asian Terminal Inc. (ATI), and ATI shift manager Darwin Dalmacio.
No examination
Also charged were the owners, officials and brokers of Premiere Oak Lumber & Wood Products Corp., Spectrum Highlands Marketing Corp.; Megaabundancesteel Indent Trading Corp., Abundancegain Indent Trading Corp., Paragon Platinum International Trading Corp. and Imperial Foods and Agricultural Prod.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña ordered the filing of the charges.
In a statement, he said the 105 shipping containers that had been released were covered by an alert order, which required examination of the contents before their release.
“The examinations were not conducted,” said Lapeña in the statement.
He said the officers of the corporations, with the help of brokers and ATI “all connived to secure the release of the containers from ATI premises without the necessary examination.”
Lapeña said all 105 containers covered by the alert order had been released by ATI without an order that lifted the alert order from the Customs bureau.
The total amount of duties due from the shipments was more than P69 million, Lapeña said.
Violation of law
The release of the containers, according to Lapeña, violated Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Lapeña said violators of the law faced legal action from the Bureau and revocation of their BOC accreditation.
“We will also make sure that after our thorough investigation, those BOC personnel who were proven to be connected to this incident will be charged accordingly,” said Lapeña.
“Everyone who is responsible for this shameful act must pay,” he added.