The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is donating 7,000 sacks of smuggled rice to victims of typhoon Ompong.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña on September 14 signed the deed of donation for the smuggled rice sacks contained in 14 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) that were earlier confiscated at the Port of Cebu.
Lapeña, in a statement, said the donation is based on the instruction of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on September 13 for BOC to immediately release seized smuggled rice and other food items to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to augment government relief preparations in Northern Luzon and other areas in the wake of the onslaught of typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut).
Dominguez in a separate statement said “government-to-government transfers in emergency situations can be legally fast-tracked” as in the case of the BOC’s release of the seized food stocks to the DSWD for disaster relief efforts.
Under Chapter 10, Section 1141 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), goods under BOC custody that are up for disposal “may be donated to another government agency or declared for official use by the Bureau, after approval of the Secretary of Finance, or sold at a public auction within 30 days after a 10-day notice posted at a public place at the port where the goods are located and published electronically or in a newspaper of general circulation.”
Goods suitable for shelter, food items, clothing materials, and medicines “may be donated to the DSWD,” the CMTA stated. BOC Deputy Commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group Atty. Edward James Dy Buco said a second batch of donated goods is expected this week.
Lapeña, meanwhile, emphasized the role and responsibility BOC plays in certain cases such as calamities and emergencies.
“This is the way we should act—when there is typhoon, a situation that is very critical that needs our services, then we should be ready anytime to lend a helping hand to those who are in need,” Lapeña said.
