The Bureau of Customs (BOC) vowed that it will intensify its inspection of warehouses believed to be storing smuggled rice or being used for rice hoarding after an order from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
(2nd left) Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio inspects one of the Balagtas, Bulacan warehouses filled with suspected smuggled 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), on Aug. 24, 2023. (BOC photo)
“As per the directive po ng ating Pangulo, we will be conducting more inspections of these warehouses, and the inspection and visitation will be coordinated with other agencies like the DA (Department of Agriculture) and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry),” Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio said during a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
The Chief Executive made the directive to the Customs bureau during Tuesday’s sectoral meeting to address hoarding and illegal importation of rice.
Right after the meeting with the President, Rubio disclosed ordering Customs teams “to check on the possible warehouses”prepare for the filing of cases and the confiscation of the smuggled rice.
“Katulad po ng sinabi ko maganda naman po ang coordination namin with DOJ at may assurance po na tutulungan kaming pabilisin po iyong pag-file ng mga kaso (As I said, we have a good coordination with the DOJ and we have the assurance that they will help expedite the filing of cases),” he said.
Last week, BOC inspected three warehouses located in Intercity Industrial Complex, San Juan, Balagtas, Bulacan. These were found with suspected P505 million worth of smuggled imported rice from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso said his office is currently investigating the owners of the warehouses, as well as the lease agreements or lease contracts of these warehouses.
“These—backtracking will also be part of the investigation if these said owners or importers of these rice have already previous cases with the bureau, it will also be part of the investigation,” he added when asked if the owners of the warehouses had a previous history of smuggling or hoarding.
Enciso is part of the Customs intelligence group that received the “derogatory information” about the warehouses.
Rubio said that he issued the letters of authority “to conduct visitorial powers on these warehouses” upon validation that there were suspected smuggled imported rice in the warehouses.
Rubio was joined by Enciso, as well as House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and several other lawmakers during the inspection.
The Customs chief also reported that under his leadership, the agency had confiscated P30 billion worth of contraband items as of posting time, representing the “highest so far in the last five years kapag year-on-year basis po ang pag-uusapan (if the basis is year-on-year).”