BOC seizes rice shipment in Subic
- Bureau Of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon (center), Subic District Collector OIC Carmelita Talusan, former Subic District Collector Errol Albano and Enforcement & Security Service Director George Alinio show reporters rice from some 90 container vans seized in the Port of Subic. Valued at P42.5 M, the shipments arrived in Subic from Vietnam in two batches, a week apart, in June 2012 . (photo by Randy V. Datu) .
SOME P42.5 M worth of rice smuggled into the country has been seized by the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Subic.
This was revealed by Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon a couple of days or so before the State of the Nation Address of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
Biazon said the rice shipment came from Vietnam in 90 container vans, 50 of which arrived on June 13, 2012 and 40 on June 20 or a week later, purposely misdeclared as construction materials.
“This is a large-scale attempt to smuggle rice into the country by misdeclaring the illegal shipment of rice. Had it not been for our alert customs operatives, this could have affected the livelihood of many of our local farmers.
We will vigorously pursue charges against those involved in this attempt,” Biazon said.Biazon said the improved monitoring of shipments entering the country’s seaports and airports resulted to the seizure of the rice shipment which was consigned to Masagana Import Export Inc. and Oriental Tradelink Express, Inc.
He added that the Bureau of Customs is also set to formalize the seizure of a bigger rice shipment, about 10 times over, which arrived in Subic sometime in April.
