Smuggling in Davao port keeps ‘dirty money’ flowing–trader

Regions

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:15:00 12/08/2010

p. A12

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20101208-307862/Smuggling-in-Davao-port-keeps-dirty-money-flowingtrader


Filed Under: Smuggling, Philippines - Regions, Graft & Corruption

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The level of corruption in the Bureau of Customs (BOC), particularly at the Davao Port in Sasa here, is so extensive that it could involve a number of the agency’s top officials, a businessman said.

Rodolfo Reta, owner of Aquarius Container Yard, whose area was identified as a designated examination area (DEA) outside of the Customs Zone, even described the illegal activities at the port as being run by “a mafia.”

But Customs district collector Anju Castigador laughed off Reta’s allegations saying it was akin to sour graping.

Castigador said Reta’s company was a previous contractor under the BOC DEA scheme but its operations were suspended due to nonperformance.

Sources in the customs bureau said a syndicate known as Kimberly Gang is behind rampant smuggling nationwide. Gang leaders, a certain Julie and Noemi, are in cahoots with a certain Manuel of the customs bureau.

Corrupt system

“It is a systematic scheme that has gotten into the bone of the BOC. This is the reason despite reports of irregularities and corruption, many officials remain in their positions. They will do everything just to protect their operations,” he said.

Reta also said his company was doing its job religiously when Castigador decided to suspend its operations in February.

He said the real reason could be that “I spoke and I stood against the corruption happening inside.”

Asked who the leading smugglers are, Reta said they were the Koreans.

“Greed for money is running within the system of the Bureau of Customs. If the government is really bent on cleaning itself of corrupt officials, then they better look first at the Bureau of Customs here,” Reta said.

Gold, silver, bronze

He said BOC officials collect P150,000 for the quick release of cargo labeled as gold (rice, sugar, cars), P80,000 for labeled silver (vehicle and machine spare parts and perishable goods) and P60,000 for bronze (used clothing and products from China).

He said Customs officials and employees would bag about P30 million to P40 million a month for clearing smuggled goods.

He said he had personally witnessed dirty money flowing inside the BOC.

Reta said for example, on September 18 last year, then district collector Ronnie Silvestre issued a release order for several container vans even before it arrived at the Sasa Port.

The same thing happened on September 26 for container vans declared by a local company as “imported talcum powder.”

“But nobody knew what were really inside those containers because they did not pass through examination,” Reta said.

“What can I do? They would tell me to not conduct the procedure anymore. However, against my will, I would end up not conducting the procedure provided that they sign a document that indicated that there was no physical examination conduction on the vans,” Reta said.

For not conducting the inspections, his company’s services had been suspended.

“Someone has to start going public about all of these cases. As for me, I just wish I could sleep well again at night,” Reta said. Jeffrey Tupas with a report from Dennis Santos, Inquirer Mindanao