Arroyo men clash over Subic smuggling of luxury cars
A feud has developed between the appointees of President Macapagal-Arroyo at the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group and the Bureau of Customs following the group’s discovery of 25 smuggled cars at the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday last week.
The conflict became apparent when Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales wrote an Aug. 3 memorandum to Ms Arroyo clarifying the Inquirer’s news report on the smuggled vehicles found inside 16 overstaying container vans at the Freeport.
Morales reacted to the statement of PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr., who said, “What is strange here is that while the cars have overstayed, the Bureau of Customs has not auctioned them off.”
Lost income
Villar had estimated that the government could have earned at least P70 million in taxes and P200 million in sales if the cars were auctioned off since these have been kept at the freeport for more than 60 days.
Morales, who attached a report from Subic district collector Marietta Zamoranos in his memorandum, said the news report “betrays the utter lack of understanding of the unique situation that the BoC is finding itself in its dealings with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.”
Villar on Tuesday called the Inquirer, saying he was disheartened that the BoC “came to the rescue of car owners (rather) than the government.”
In the letter, Morales blamed the SBMA, which, he said, “does not have rules on abandonment.”
“It is only under the new memorandum of agreement with the BoC, signed only last month, that the SBMA can declare goods as ‘abandoned,’” Morales said in his memorandum to Ms Arroyo.
Red tape
The new set up, he said, requires the SBMA to inform the consignee to clear the shipment after 60 days from date of arrival.
“If after due notice the consignee is not able to claim the shipment, the goods are turned over to the BoC as abandoned goods. Unfortunately, this MOA does not have a retroactive effect,” he said.
The goods arrived in February and these were “not subject” to abandonment because the owners wrote the SBMA asking that these be allowed for “re-export,” Morales said.
That request, he said, “remains unacted by SBMA.”
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Villar said Arreza gave consent to the opening and inspection of the containers. BoC representatives were present in the inspection.
Morales said it was the SBMA, not BoC, which has control and supervision over the freeport.
“It is only when the goods are brought out of the zone that the BoC acquires jurisdiction over them. In fact, SBMA is not even obligated to inform the BoC on the import permits that they have issued,” he said.
By Tonette Orejas - Inquirer
The conflict became apparent when Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales wrote an Aug. 3 memorandum to Ms Arroyo clarifying the Inquirer’s news report on the smuggled vehicles found inside 16 overstaying container vans at the Freeport.
Morales reacted to the statement of PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr., who said, “What is strange here is that while the cars have overstayed, the Bureau of Customs has not auctioned them off.”
Lost income
Villar had estimated that the government could have earned at least P70 million in taxes and P200 million in sales if the cars were auctioned off since these have been kept at the freeport for more than 60 days.
Morales, who attached a report from Subic district collector Marietta Zamoranos in his memorandum, said the news report “betrays the utter lack of understanding of the unique situation that the BoC is finding itself in its dealings with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.”
Villar on Tuesday called the Inquirer, saying he was disheartened that the BoC “came to the rescue of car owners (rather) than the government.”
In the letter, Morales blamed the SBMA, which, he said, “does not have rules on abandonment.”
“It is only under the new memorandum of agreement with the BoC, signed only last month, that the SBMA can declare goods as ‘abandoned,’” Morales said in his memorandum to Ms Arroyo.
Red tape
The new set up, he said, requires the SBMA to inform the consignee to clear the shipment after 60 days from date of arrival.
“If after due notice the consignee is not able to claim the shipment, the goods are turned over to the BoC as abandoned goods. Unfortunately, this MOA does not have a retroactive effect,” he said.
The goods arrived in February and these were “not subject” to abandonment because the owners wrote the SBMA asking that these be allowed for “re-export,” Morales said.
That request, he said, “remains unacted by SBMA.”
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Villar said Arreza gave consent to the opening and inspection of the containers. BoC representatives were present in the inspection.
Morales said it was the SBMA, not BoC, which has control and supervision over the freeport.
“It is only when the goods are brought out of the zone that the BoC acquires jurisdiction over them. In fact, SBMA is not even obligated to inform the BoC on the import permits that they have issued,” he said.
By Tonette Orejas - Inquirer
Labels: customs, pasg, smuggling, subic bay freeport
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