Agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) discovered around P505 million worth of rice, which are believed to have been smuggled into the country, during a series of inspections in three warehouses in Bulacan on Thursday, Aug. 24.

BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio said the 202,000 sacks of rice discovered inside the Industrial Complex in San Juan, Balagtas were found to be imported from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio ((2nd from left) inspects one of the Balagtas, Bulacan warehouses filled with suspected illegally imported rice from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Joining him is (right) Intelligence Officer 3 Alvin Enciso, chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP). (photo: BOC) 

“I have ordered the owners of these warehouses to present the necessary documents that will support its rice importation, as well as the amount of rice they have been keeping in these warehouses,” Rubio said. 

Rubio led the inspections with agents of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), CIIS-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) agents, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Task Force Aduana.

Also present during the inspections were House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Reps. Erwin Tulfo, Wilfrido Mark Enverga, and Ambrosion Cruz Jr.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez checks some of the sacks of rice discovered during separate inspections in three warehouses in Bulacan where around P505 million worth of suspected smuggled rice from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnman were found by agents of the Bureau of Customs. (photo: BOC) 

“This operation is in line with the directive of President Marcos to protect the country’s agricultural assets through intensified border security,” said Rubio.

“Smuggling agricultural products, in particular rice as this is a staple food in every Filipino home, poses a grave threat to our economy. It creates a ripple effect that impacts the core of our agricultural sector—our farmers,” he added.

CIIS director Verne Enciso said they carried out the operation after receiving intelligence reports about the storage of sacks of rice in various warehouses in Bulacan.

He said they immediately secured a Letter of Authority (LOA) from the office of Rubio and coordinated with the local police officials for the operation.

“Only after the LOA was acknowledged by the warehouse representatives did the team proceed to inspect the storage, where they found hundreds of thousands of sacks of rice grain we suspect to be lacking the necessary importation documents,” said Enciso. 

“As with our protocol, the team padlocked and sealed the warehouse temporarily and proceeded with the inventory of the found goods,” he added. 

Enciso said the inventory of the discovered sacks of rice was witnessed by agents from the CIIS, PCG, Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) as well as the warehouse representatives. 

For his part, Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy underscored the role of the BOC in the Marcos administration’s thrust to get to the bottom of hoarding issues that drive up the cost of rice in the market. 

“If proven true, hoarding such a huge amount of rice grain will have legal consequences. There is no space in our fight against smuggling and hoarding for these kinds of operations. Together with key agencies, our commitment remains steadfast—it is time to put an end to the crippling impact of smuggling,” Uy said. 

If found without proper importation and proof of payment documents, the corresponding seizure and forfeiture proceedings will be conducted against the subject shipments for violation of Sec. 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Sec. 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).