TRIBUNE: ANOTHER BIG-TIME BOC SCAM; BILLIONS LOST
[PHOTO - The Port of Manila is the largest seaport in the Philippines, and is the premier international shipping gateway to the country. It is located in the vicinity of Manila Bay.]
MANILA, AUGUST 30, 2011 (TRIBUNE) N.O . N.O.N.S.E.N.S.E Jacinto - More than 2,000 containers disappeared on its way to the Port of Batangas, with government losing billions in forgone revenues, we had written earlier.
But there is again talk that another 1,470 containers have again been diverted from MICP to fake warehouses with government losing several more billions.
How can this happen right under the very noses of the Commissioner of Customs and his officials?
How could they release these 1,470 container vans filled with resins with an estimated value per container of P3 million without paying a single centavo as tax and duty to the government? It is mind boggling how Customs officials can conspire to perpetrate this very big scam.
The scam allegedly occurred when 1,470 container vans loaded with resins were transferred to the Port of Manila from MICP but were diverted by the consignee in connivance with Customs officials to fake and fictitious bonded warehouses instead of arriving at the port of destination which is the Port of Manila.
The 1,470 containers loaded with valuable and highly dutiable goods were allegedly all consigned to only one company, Xurich Corp., which must be filthy rich to import an estimated P5 billion worth of resins. Can you believe that this Xurich Corp. is allegedly a fake one, and yet the BoC headed by Angelito Alvarez was able to accredit the said corporation as an Industry-Specific Bonded Warehouse (ICBW) despite the absence of a mayor's and business permit being submitted to the BoC.
Talk is that the address presented to the BoC which is Unit 206 Joncor Bldg. at 1362 A. Mabini St. Ermita, Manila, turned out to be fictitious as the existing occupant of the said address is a travel agency and not a bonded warehouse, which was what Xurich claimed. It's non-existence at Joncor building was certified by the building administrator stating that no Xurich Corp. ever occupied any room in the building in the last 15 years. Who could be behind this Xurich as its capitalist?
According to Customs regulations on transshipment, the 1,470 containers should have been transfered to the port of destination, which is the Port of Manila, and after paying taxes and duties, the containers are released to Xurich Corp., the purported consignee. However, the containers did not arrive at the Port of Manila, and no taxes and duties were paid to government, as they were diverted to some fictitious bonded warehouses namely, Poly Agro Product Corp.n and Aimway Plastic and Printing Corp., the latter claimed to be member warehouses of Xurich Corp. On several occasions, the diverted containers were intercepted by police operatives somewhere in Karuhatan, Valenzuela and the container vans were detained because they did not possess any documents such as boatnotes, warehousing entry, mission order and no customs guard present.
Worse, the two corporations which purportedly represented themselves as ICBW members of Xurich turned out also to be fictitious as can be shown from their fake addresses and their non-qualification to be considered as ICBW. Aimway Plastic gave its warehouse address as #10 Ulingan West Lawang Bato, Valenzuela, and duly certified by Mercidita Ortega and lawyer Dandal of the Bonded Warehouse Division of BoC, but the Barangay Captain of Lawang Bato certified that there is no Aimway Plastic at that address but a Transwell Engineering Co. that occupies #10 Ulingan West, Lawang Bato. Valenzuela. On the other hand, Poly Agro also gave its address at #26 Isidro Francisco, Balubaran, Valenzuela as duly certified by a certain Ortega and Dandal of BoC Bonded Warehouse Division, but the said address is fake, according to a certification by the Barangay Captain of Balubaran Malinta, Valenzuela, the one occupying #26 Isidro Balubaran is Filzack Industries Packaging Corp. and not Poly Agro.
Also, based on existing Customs regulations, in particular CAO No-1-2009 Section 3.3.5, presuming that Xurich is a legitimate ICBW, Poly Agro and Aimway cannot qualify as licensed client/end user such that they can be transferee of resins as raw materials because only licensed client and end users are allowed and not members as claimed by Poly Agro and Aimway.
What was also questionable in the diversion of these containers is the presence allegedly of a certain Tina Yu who claimed to be a representative of Xurich Corp. She appeared at 8.30 in the morning and presented a mission order to the police when one of the Xurich consigned container was apprehended. It was said to be physically impossible for Tina Yu to have gotten a mission order from the BoC very early early in the morning when offices are still closed unless she has access to the Customs officials 24 hours. What is then the role of Tina Yu in the smuggling caper?
A top official of MICP also did a questionable act amounting to perjury when he refused to issue a warrant of seizure and detention for some apprehended containers consigned to Xurich when requested by the police. Instead he certified that the diversion of containers to Poly Agro and Aimway was legal because the latter are extensions of the port. His act is highly questionable and must be investigated.
Another questionable act by a BoC top official in the Intelligence and Investigation office was his instruction to his subordinates to let go of the diverted containers since he may have been part of the scam. This official, it is said, was only appointed to the top position because he belongs to a very influential religious group, despite the allegation that he is not even a high school graduate and therefore not qualified for the position. It was also alleged by a source that this official claimed in his 201 file that he is a college graduate from the University of the East, however such fact was disclaimed by the university officials, hence he is liable of perjury.
If indeed, a new Commissioner is appointed by the President, I hope he immediately gets into the bottom of this mess at the BoC and prosecute the perpetrators of this criminal act which is bigger than plunder.
THE HEADLINE NEWS REPORT FROM PHILSTAR
BOC seeks NBI's help to track down missing container vans By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) Updated August 28, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez yesterday said their agency would be coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in solving the case of the 1,910 containers that reportedly went missing while they were en route to the Port of Batangas rom the Port of Manila.
In a statement, Alvarez said he sought the help of the NBI to track down the whereabouts of the missing 1,910 container vans that disappeared as they were being transshipped to Batangas.
Alvarez said NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula suggested an operational plan on how they would be able to identify, locate and apprehend those behind the scheme to divert the containers and illegally remove their contents.
"This is blatant and the smugglers, I'm sure with the help of some Customs bureau people, have shown utter scorn of our laws. This stops right now, and with NBI's help, all those involved should go to jail. This is the tipping point of our campaign against smuggling," Alvarez said.
The 1,910 container vans were reportedly filled with plastic resins, textiles, foodstuff, personal effects, and household products that came from China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The container vans have reportedly been returned to the respective owners, but without the contents.
The BOC earlier said a total of 2,219 containers covered by transshipment permits were processed between January and May this year at both the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Manila.
However, of the 2,219 transshipped containers, the Batangas District Office acknowledged receipt of only 309 containers.
The case of the missing container vans was used by Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros Magsaysay as basis to call for Alvarez's resignation.
She also criticized the BOC's failure to collect over P3 billion in taxes due to the missing container vans.
But Alvarez defended himself, saying that calls for his removal were uncalled for since he was the one who exposed the missing container vans.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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