SC rule on smuggled rice seen as chance to boost typhoon aid

ROSALES, Pangasinan—The Supreme Court decision not to release to their owners almost 300,000 bags of allegedly smuggled rice seized last year by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) allows the government to use them for relief operations, a farmers’ group said on Saturday.

But Rosendo So, president of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), said the rice should first be examined to determine if it is fit for human consumption.

He said smugglers usually buy cheap rice shipments in Vietnam, where these have been stored in a warehouse for a long time before smuggling them into the country.

So has been urging the government to sell the smuggled rice to the Department of Social Welfare and Development  for its relief operations, especially in typhoon-ravaged areas in the Visayas.

Sinag has opposed the holding of public auctions for seized smuggled rice because it allows smugglers to participate in the bidding and buy the rice back, he said.

Early this week, the Supreme Court junked the separate urgent motions and manifestations filed by rice traders Joseph Mangupag Ngo, Danilo Galang of St. Hildegard Grains Enterprises and Ivy Souza of Bold Bidder Marketing and General Merchandise.

In denying the motions, the high court said the customs bureau “may proceed, as it may deem proper to the best advantage of the government, and undertake such procedures with regard to the subject rice shipments in its custody pursuant to the Tariff and Customs Code.”

“Farmers are very happy that smuggled rice shipments have been stopped from getting into our market,”  So said.

So said the government had been losing to rice smugglers at least P7 billion a year in revenues. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon