The Bureau of Customs (BOC), as reported on Sunday, charged the owners and crew members of MT Tritrust and MT Mega Ensoleillee who were caught in the act of illegally transferring unmarked fuel (paihi) at the Navotas Fish Port.
A crew of nine from MT Tritrust and 16 crew members of MT Mega Ensoleillee, as well as the still unnamed owners of the vessels and the smuggled fuel found in it, were slapped with violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law).
“The filing of this complaint is one step toward the fulfillment of our mandate to serve the Filipino people in ensuring our borders are safe and secure,” said Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio, highlighting the need for swift action against fuel smugglers to foil future attempts.
“As for the registered owners of these two vessels, we will not let them escape liability because whether or not they were aware of the circumstances of the vessels being involved in the paihi modus, they must still face legal consequences for allowing the use of their vessels in transporting smuggled fuel,” said
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy.
The BOC affidavit stated that the crew of the two vessels were caught “in flagrante delicto (in the act of)” smuggling unmarked fuel after fuel marking testing conducted by Enforcement Group-Fuel Marking Agents on the diesel fuel aboard the two vessels yielded failed results.
“Clearly, the respondents were engaged in the illegal transportation of undocumented fuel given the results of the fuel marking testing, which resulted in FAIL results and their failure to present a Withdrawal Certificate and other pertinent documents evidencing fuel marking and payment of correct duties and taxes for the fuel in their possession,” the affidavit read.
BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services (BOC-CIIS) Director Verne Enciso said that based on the diesel fuel inventory of the two vessels, MT Tritrust contained more or less 320,463 liters while MT Mega Ensoleillee had 39,884 liters.
“As we earlier reported, the unmarked fuel found in those two vessels amounted to P20.35 million, while the MT Tritrust was valued at P245 million and the MT Mega Ensoleilee at P450 million,” he added.
The total value of the fuel and two fuel tankers found by the BOC amounts to P715,350,000.
The registration documents presented by both vessels showed that Megapower Petroleum and Shipping Corporation owns MT Tritrust and MT Mega Ensoleillee.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy, whose team received the derogatory information about the two fuel tankers, assured that appropriate cases will also be filed against Megapower Petroleum’s directors, corporate officers, and responsible officers.
