The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has filed charges against two importers for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country P33 million worth of sugar misdeclared as bitamen—an oil-based substance used in road surfacing and roofing.
Cases were filed on December 3 at the Department of Justice against officials of Rainbow Holdings, Inc. (RHI)—president and chief executive officer Eunkyoung Son, senior adviser Soon Seung Joon, executive vice president Diosdado Serbio, Jr., corporate financial officer Rolando Ambrosio, corporate secretary Kathleen May Uy, and several others.
Legal complaints were also levied against Patricia Manahaon Ong, owner and proprietor of Trisho General Merchandise (TGM), as well as licensed customs broker Cleth Jay Bacay and several others.
RHI and TGM were both charged with violation of Section 3601(Unlawful Importation) in relation to Section 101 (Prohibited Importation) of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP); Sugar Regulatory Administration Rule and Regulations and Joint Memorandum Order No. 4002; and Article 172 of the Revised Pena Code (falsification by private individual and use of falsified documents).
A total shipment of 21 forty-foot equivalent units (FEUs) consigned to RHI arrived at Manila International Container Port (MICP) on July 29 to August 21 this year that were declared to contain bitumen but were found to instead contain refined sugar. On May 15, one FEU containing refined sugar arrived at MICP for consignee TG that was also declared as bitumen.
BOC noted that Section 3601 of the TCCP states that “any person who shall fraudulently import of bring into the Philippines, or assist in so doing, any article, contrary to law, or shall receive, conceal, buy, sell, or in any manner facilitate the transportation concealment, or sale of such article after importation, knowing the same to have been contrary to law shall be guilty of smuggling and shall be punished.”
Customs commissioner Alberto Lina earlier said “the illicit trade of sugar has placed an increasing burden on Customs and the industry itself.”
To intensify efforts to curb sugar smuggling, BOC has signed a memorandum order that deputizes representatives from the Sugar Regulatory Administration and Sugar Anti-Smuggling Office of the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines to provide support to the customs agency in its fight against illegal trading of the food staple.
