The names of alleged big-time oil smugglers were revealed on Thursday, January 19 during a Senate consultation meeting called by Senator Raffy Tulfo with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) on the controversial fuel marking program.
Tulfo, chairman of the Senate energy committee, identified them as Don Rabonza who is well known in Navotas; Sonny Qiu, Jackie Chu , Aron Uy, and Lyndon Tan who operate in Batangas and Sariaya; and Alex Chua, Bogs Violago, Jong Mangundadatu and Dondon Alahas who operate in Mariveles, Bataan.
He also lashed at ranking BOC officials who did not appear before his consultation meeting and instead sent as "cannon fodder" BOC Special agent II Anthony Escandor to answer questions.
Escandor told Tulfo that he does not know the persons identified by rhe Senator who said that even peanut and fish vendors know them.
It now appears that money had been pasted on the faces of customs people who are supposed to know and charge them, he said.
"You (Escandor) are not the right person to be here. I want to see the (BOC) Commissioner (Yogi Felimon L. Ruiz)," the exasperated Tulfo said.
In yesterday’s hybrid public hearing by the Senate agriculture committee chaired by Senator Cynthia Villar, senators also questioned the failure of Ruiz to appear and testify on the diminishing salt industry.
Tulfo said he is planning to ask the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to delve deeper into the lucrative oil and gasoline smuggling and to summon the alleged oil smugglers.
He praised the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) hierarchy for suspending its cooperation with the BOC in the fuel marking program when it learned that the integrity of their joint operation with BOC was questioned.
"It is sad that the Customs bureau allow big-time smugglers to go their merry way but is strict on the small fishes," Tulfo said.
Gasoline and diesel are smuggled into the country by ships that unload them aboard barges some 15 miles away from the Philippine shoreline and later pump them to ships waiting at piers in Subic, Batangas and Navotas.
Tulfo accused the BOC and Philippine Coast Guard personnel of sharing P2.70 per liter of gasoline or diesel brought in by oil smugglers.
He also lashed out at the SGS, an international firm, that "sold" the technology on fuel marking because it turned out to be "experimental."
He rued that the Philippine government pays P1-billion annually to SGS for helping the customs bureau. This contract ends in 2024.
Tulfo had questioned the government's fuel marking program, which is authorized under Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which is intended to curb oil smuggling.
"Even though there is a marking scheme, there is still a lot of oil that gets through and is smuggled because there are times when these barges from big-time oil companies are not even identified as oil or they are not declared at all. For example, only one out of 100 drums will be declared and only one will be marked," he added.
Tulfo could not help but ask the lower echelon representatives of various government agencies sent to the committee for failing to give substantive answers to his questions "to simply resign" from their posts.
"Inutil. Nakakahiya kayo. I am really disappointed," he added, as he adjourned the meeting.