THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed on Friday a smuggling complaint before the Department of Justice against one of the biggest rice importers in the country for alleged illegal importation of 5.4 million kilograms of rice with an estimated amount of P217 million.
Customs Commissioner John P. Sevilla said two separate complaints were filed by the agency against Intercontinental Grains International Trading Inc. (Igiti) and its following officials: Edgar Salvador, proprietor; Reginald Sihiyon, president and chairman; Ruperto Guilaran, corporate secretary and director; and Zarian Lanzar, treasurer and director.
Also named as respondents were Igiti Board Members Emma Dequillqa and Apolonio Magno, as well as the firm’s customs brokers Baltazar Ramirez and Ailene Rejuso.
Complainants in the two separate complaints were BOC acting district collectors Mario Mendoza and Elmir de la Cruz of the Port of Manila.
The eight respondents are facing multiple counts of violating Section 3601 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines and Section 29 of Presidential Decree (PD) 4, as amended by PD 1485.
The said provisions require private entities to secure a permit from the National Food Authority (NFA) for rice importation.
Sevilla said if found guilty for violation of Section 3601, the respondents face a punishment of a maximum of 10 years in imprisonment and a fine of P50,000 for each count.
PD 4 also imposes a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment and a fine of P8,000 per count of violation.
“The fact that [Igiti] did not bother to file a permit with the NFA and ignored the quota it was allotted signifies bad faith and a gross disregard for our laws. These import volumes are regulated to ensure fair trade and an even playing field for our local rice industry, which firms like [Igiti] ignored to the detriment of our farmers,” Sevilla said.
Sevilla disclosed that Igiti imported 4,750 metric tons of rice through the Manila International Container Port and another 675 MT via the Port of Manila. Both shipments came from Thailand.
However, Sevilla said based on NFA records, Igiti was allotted a total import quota of only 1,565 MT in 2013.
He added none of Igiti’s shipments were covered by any import permit.
Based on the BOC records, Igiti was one of biggest rice importers in 2013. Igiti, Bold Bidder Marketing Inc., Silent Royalty Marketing Inc., Stracraft Intenational Trading Corp. and Medagluia de Oro Trading Inc. cornered a combined 75 percent of the 200,000 MT of rice that entered the country last year without the required permit.
The said confiscation of the alleged illegal shipments are now the subject of several cases pending before the court after several rice importers insisted that a permit from the NFA is no longer necessary following the lifting of the quantitative restrictions by the World Trade Organization.