The Bureau of Customs seized some P25 million worth of smuggled rice in a raid of a warehouse in Calamba, Laguna.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said that more than 10,000 sacks of rice imported from Thailand and Vietnam were found in a warehouse in J.P. Rizal Street, Calamba, Laguna.
“The BOC-Enforcement and Security Service conducted a surveillance to validate the presence of the alleged smuggled rice. Upon confirmation of the presence of rice, I immediately issued a letter of authority to inspect and visit the said warehouse,” Lapeña said.
The smuggled rice is consigned to the Marcelo Rice Trading while the warehouse is owned by a certain Henry Uy and Jason Feng.
The warehouse owner and the consignee were not on the premises during the raid. ESS agents found the company accountant, identified as Janice Peng.
“No documents were presented to show evidence of payment of duties and taxes and the corresponding import permit,” the BoC chief said.
“The interested party is given 15 days to prove or show the source of the goods and the payment of duties and taxes. If they fail to do so, the goods will be seized and subjected to forfeiture proceedings,” he said.
Lapeña said the National Food Authority did not issue import permit to Marcelo Rice Trading.
“Despite the need to address the rice shortage in the country, it is also our mandate to protect the interest of the government and the people especially our own rice farmers.
“I will not let these smugglers and their protectors manipulate the prices of rice and let the Filipino people be at a disadvantage. Our President Duterte is already rallying for the rice tariffication bill so our importers will be given much more freedom to import the staple food of the country,” Lapena said.
The rice tariffication bill seeks to remove quantitative restrictions on the importation of rice.