The antismuggling czar of the Philippines
By Rene Martel - Manila Times
IN the days when Undersecretary Antonio “Bebot” Villar Jr.—the incumbent head of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group—was a virtual fixture as a hard working and productive mayor of Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan (holding the post from 1973-1992, and being the only mayor in the Philippines on a hold over capacity following EDSA 1) he could never have thought even in his wildest dreams that one day he would be tasked by Malacañang to be the virtual anti-smuggling czar of the Philippines.
But suffice it to say that since taking on the top job at the PASG he has been winning significant battles on all fronts in the greater war against the economic saboteurs who cynically use connections and bureaucratic shortcomings to carry out large scale smuggling activities that bleed the national coffers of billions of pesos.
For the first time we are also seeing a Palace created antismuggling entity actually working with Bureau of Customs, the Land Transportation Office and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority—all involved in areas where the opportunities for smuggling are rife—in order to curb the menace.
The PASG has requested the BOC that it be included in the bureau’s “Voluntary Disclosure Program” so as to monitor that proper duties and taxes will be collected.
A surge in the number of shipments entering through the warehousing scheme caught the attention of the PASG and triggered it to monitor this activity. To this end it has requested the comprehensive audit of several warehouses and intensified its monitoring of all shipments bound for PEZA and other Special Economic Zones.
To complement its drive against the proliferation of illegally imported motor vehicles—a matter recently dramatically addressed with the help of crushing machines in Subic when several smuggled luxury vehicles were reduced to scrap metal in the full gaze of the TV cameras—the PSAG has suggested that it be included in the implementation of the Memoranda of Agreements between the BOC and the LTO.
Sugar smuggling is another economic evil, so the PASG has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations.
The agreement assigns the confederation to police its ranks in the interest of the sugar industry. Smuggling of imported sugar has rampantly increased early this year, prompting the PASG to step in with its iron hand. It is believed that sugar smuggling has dramatically affected the low customs tax collection for the first two quarters of 2007.
And Undersecretary Villar is not sparing anyone. Last month he requested Customs Commissioner Napoleon “Boy” Morales to arrest an alleged collector of bribes from importers and brokers on behalf of PASG. According to Villar, a certain “Edwin Santos” has been using the name of the PASG to collect bribes as protection money for shipments of importers and brokers.
Villar has sacked a team of law enforcers deputized by PASG in Pangasinan for alleged involvement in bribery, and also caused a top official of the BOC employees association to be removed for the alleged involvement in technical smuggling activities that caused customs revenue losses amounting to millions.
Villar pointed out that the BOC operative should not have approved the release of imported onions that entered his station at the Port of Manila since he is assigned to handle only hardware materials. Aside from the misdeclared onions, is also believed to have released millions worth of used clothing which was earlier seized by the PSAG.
Currently the PASG boss is leading the hunt for smuggled onions and investigating the suspected perpetrators of these smuggled products, which are being blamed for the spiraling cost of white onions in the market
IN the days when Undersecretary Antonio “Bebot” Villar Jr.—the incumbent head of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group—was a virtual fixture as a hard working and productive mayor of Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan (holding the post from 1973-1992, and being the only mayor in the Philippines on a hold over capacity following EDSA 1) he could never have thought even in his wildest dreams that one day he would be tasked by Malacañang to be the virtual anti-smuggling czar of the Philippines.
But suffice it to say that since taking on the top job at the PASG he has been winning significant battles on all fronts in the greater war against the economic saboteurs who cynically use connections and bureaucratic shortcomings to carry out large scale smuggling activities that bleed the national coffers of billions of pesos.
For the first time we are also seeing a Palace created antismuggling entity actually working with Bureau of Customs, the Land Transportation Office and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority—all involved in areas where the opportunities for smuggling are rife—in order to curb the menace.
The PASG has requested the BOC that it be included in the bureau’s “Voluntary Disclosure Program” so as to monitor that proper duties and taxes will be collected.
A surge in the number of shipments entering through the warehousing scheme caught the attention of the PASG and triggered it to monitor this activity. To this end it has requested the comprehensive audit of several warehouses and intensified its monitoring of all shipments bound for PEZA and other Special Economic Zones.
To complement its drive against the proliferation of illegally imported motor vehicles—a matter recently dramatically addressed with the help of crushing machines in Subic when several smuggled luxury vehicles were reduced to scrap metal in the full gaze of the TV cameras—the PSAG has suggested that it be included in the implementation of the Memoranda of Agreements between the BOC and the LTO.
Sugar smuggling is another economic evil, so the PASG has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations.
The agreement assigns the confederation to police its ranks in the interest of the sugar industry. Smuggling of imported sugar has rampantly increased early this year, prompting the PASG to step in with its iron hand. It is believed that sugar smuggling has dramatically affected the low customs tax collection for the first two quarters of 2007.
And Undersecretary Villar is not sparing anyone. Last month he requested Customs Commissioner Napoleon “Boy” Morales to arrest an alleged collector of bribes from importers and brokers on behalf of PASG. According to Villar, a certain “Edwin Santos” has been using the name of the PASG to collect bribes as protection money for shipments of importers and brokers.
Villar has sacked a team of law enforcers deputized by PASG in Pangasinan for alleged involvement in bribery, and also caused a top official of the BOC employees association to be removed for the alleged involvement in technical smuggling activities that caused customs revenue losses amounting to millions.
Villar pointed out that the BOC operative should not have approved the release of imported onions that entered his station at the Port of Manila since he is assigned to handle only hardware materials. Aside from the misdeclared onions, is also believed to have released millions worth of used clothing which was earlier seized by the PSAG.
Currently the PASG boss is leading the hunt for smuggled onions and investigating the suspected perpetrators of these smuggled products, which are being blamed for the spiraling cost of white onions in the market
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