Turf war in Subic
Emil Jurado - Manila Standard Today
We may not realize it but the smuggling of luxury cars and vehicles in the Subic Freeport, Cebu and other ports of entry pales in comparison to the rampant smuggling of diesel oil and other petroleum products. The government is losing billions of pesos in duties and taxes.
As far as the Subic Freeport is concerned, its inability to curb smuggling can be traced directly to the continuing turf war among Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority officers, with the presence of a chairman in the person of Feliciano Salonga (father of the world-renowned Lea Salonga), and Armand Arreza as administrator. There’s also retired Gen. Joey Calimlim, who is tasked as intelligence and enforcement chief, but whose activities are oftentimes cut down by either Salonga and Arreza.
The problem in Subic can be traced directly to the appointment of an administrator and a chairman of the SBMA when its charter talks of just one person as both chairman and administrator. It was so when now Senator Dick Gordon was SBMA chairman/administrator, as it was with Tong Payumo after Gordon. But, somehow, because of political accommodation, Malacañang split the two positions. Salonga was endorsed by a Zambales politician, while Gordon pushed Arreza as administrator.
This is where the problem lies because often, Salonga and Arreza fight over turf so much so that the local and foreign locators at the free port are now confused. Those who are close to Salonga can never get that close to Arreza. That’s what is happening at Subic.
While the turf war rages on, smugglers are having a holiday. And only GMA can solve this problem.
We may not realize it but the smuggling of luxury cars and vehicles in the Subic Freeport, Cebu and other ports of entry pales in comparison to the rampant smuggling of diesel oil and other petroleum products. The government is losing billions of pesos in duties and taxes.
As far as the Subic Freeport is concerned, its inability to curb smuggling can be traced directly to the continuing turf war among Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority officers, with the presence of a chairman in the person of Feliciano Salonga (father of the world-renowned Lea Salonga), and Armand Arreza as administrator. There’s also retired Gen. Joey Calimlim, who is tasked as intelligence and enforcement chief, but whose activities are oftentimes cut down by either Salonga and Arreza.
The problem in Subic can be traced directly to the appointment of an administrator and a chairman of the SBMA when its charter talks of just one person as both chairman and administrator. It was so when now Senator Dick Gordon was SBMA chairman/administrator, as it was with Tong Payumo after Gordon. But, somehow, because of political accommodation, Malacañang split the two positions. Salonga was endorsed by a Zambales politician, while Gordon pushed Arreza as administrator.
This is where the problem lies because often, Salonga and Arreza fight over turf so much so that the local and foreign locators at the free port are now confused. Those who are close to Salonga can never get that close to Arreza. That’s what is happening at Subic.
While the turf war rages on, smugglers are having a holiday. And only GMA can solve this problem.
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
11:47 PM
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