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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider BOC, BPI heads charged for 'allowing release' of imported rice despite ban in Sept. 2025

BOC, BPI heads charged for 'allowing release' of imported rice despite ban in Sept. 2025

Published Jan 9, 2026 03:50 pm
A graft complaint was filed against Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno and Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban for allegedly allowing the release of imported rice shipments last September 2025 despite the ban.
Complainants Raul Q. Montemayor and Argel Joseph T. Cabatbat filed before the Ombudsman on Friday, Jan. 9, the charges for alleged violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Administrative charges were also filed against Nepomuceno and Panganiban for alleged grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
The complaints stated that any rice shipment entering the Philippines on or after Sept. 1, 2025 is banned under Executive Order No. 93 to stop the oversupply of rice that resulted in a sharp decrease in local prices.
Panganiban, the complainants alleged, issued a BPI Memorandum dated Aug. 30, 2025 and established "grace periods" that "effectively superseded the President's Executive Order and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).”
The memorandum “allowed bulk load carriers to arrive and unload as late as Sept. 15, 2025, provided that they were shipped out from the country of origin by Aug. 30, 2025," the complaint stated.
Also, it said the memorandum “allowed containerized shipments to enter without any clear arrival deadline, provided they had a Bill of Lading dated on or before Aug. 25, 2025."
Thus, with the action of Panganiban and Nepomuceno, the complainants said that rice shipments of 340,215,945 tons were allowed entry in September 2025 and more than 90 percent of the imported rice were regular and well-milled rice.
The shipments resulted in a national rice inventory of 2.355 million tons, which, the complainants claimed, "completely frustrated" the executive order. "This is nine percent higher than the stock level recorded on Oct. 1, 2024, proving that the 'ban' failed to reduce the glut because imports continued to flood in," they added.
They also alleged in their complaints: "The acts of respondents caused undue injury to the government and the agricultural sector. The arrival of 348, 132 tons of rice during the harvest season exacerbated the oversupply and depressed palay farmgate prices, directly defeating the purpose of EO 93. Simultaneously, it gave unwarranted benefits to importers who were allowed to violate the ban."
Nepomuceno and Panganiban could not be contacted for comment as of posting time. Once their answers to the complaints are filed, Manila Bulletin will publish them.
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