The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute asked newly-installed Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to uphold the earlier decision of the agency to seize a steel bar shipment from China.
In a letter to Faeldon dated June 1, 2016, PISI asked the new Customs head to enforce the standing order of former commissioner Alberto Lina, including a thorough review and recall of the import shipment.
“Permit us to direct your attention on the subject shipment with a stay of alert order and cause for the issuance of warrant of seizure and detention issued by former Commissioner Lina,” the group said in the letter to the bureau.
PISI cited that Subic Port officials ordered the release of the shipment despite a standing order from Lina.
The bureau discovered a number of irregularities on the shipment, including the misdeclaration of tariff code and undervaluation and non-declaration of the specific sizes and grade of steel products.
PISI reiterated that public safety was the paramount concern of the group, as well as revenues for the government.
The shipment, consigned to Mannage Resources Trading Corp., involves 5,000 tons of deformed steel rebars estimated to cost P95 million.