PASG chief wants help, tip-offs vs smugglers
Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar appealed Sunday for support from the public and concerned agencies in the fight against smugglers, saying he was "afraid" of the big-time syndicates and their powerful backers behind the illegal entry of goods into the country.
"Anyway, I’m still alive and the PASG’s work will continue with greater vigor but we really need the help of the people and those in government agencies in giving us information and support to put behind bars these smugglers and their protectors who weaken our economy and put many people out of jobs," Villar said.
Villar was formerly a town mayor in Pangasinan province before President Arroyo appointed him to the post last May. A few months back, he disclosed that he and his wife have been receiving death threats in their mobile phones and in their house in the province.
"People often see me scowling, especially during media coverage of PASG raids. I try to look tough because really I’m afraid of these powerful syndicates and their backers," Villar told The STAR.
However, he said the PASG’s string of successful raids and the support of the public give him and his personnel strength to pursue their mandate.
Last week, his men raided a high-end service shop in Makati City and seized 81 luxury vehicles, worth an estimated P200 million, suspected to have been smuggled and legally registered with the help of unscrupulous officials at the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Land Transportation Office.
The luxury vehicles, including some 20 BMWs and Lamborghinis, were believed to be owned by powerful politicians, who last week tried to intervene with PASG operatives to have their cars released.
San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, son of former President Joseph Estrada, was one those who reportedly tried to reclaim some of the vehicles, saying he has papers to prove ownership but the PASG operatives said his documents would be checked first.
Last June, Villar announced that some powerful politicians tried to seek the help of Malacañang to effect the release of more than P500 million worth of smuggled goods but Mrs. Arroyo backed him up.
Officials said since its formation, the PASG has recovered billions worth of smuggled goods ranging from bunker oil, plastic resins to electronic equipment, and file charges against various suspected smugglers and their protectors at the BoC.
The move put him at odds with Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, whom Villar claims is allegedly responsible for the entry of billions of pesos worth of smuggled goods in the country.
The PASG has also filed charges against some big oil firms in Subic for alleged smuggling of bunker fuel.
"If you really think about it, PASG is redundant. If the BoC is doing its job well, we don’t need to be here," Villar told reporters in a previous interview.
Referring to politicians allegedly protecting big-time smuggling syndicates, Villar said: "You have profited so much in the past years, it’s time to think of our country, so let go. Your bellies are already bulging with profits from smuggling activities."
The PASG, which was created under Executive Order 624, is under the Office of the President and has the power and function to apprehend, seize, investigate, and prosecute acts involving smuggling, unlawful importation, and other similar violations particularly of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines. By PAOLO ROMERO - The Philippine Star
"Anyway, I’m still alive and the PASG’s work will continue with greater vigor but we really need the help of the people and those in government agencies in giving us information and support to put behind bars these smugglers and their protectors who weaken our economy and put many people out of jobs," Villar said.
Villar was formerly a town mayor in Pangasinan province before President Arroyo appointed him to the post last May. A few months back, he disclosed that he and his wife have been receiving death threats in their mobile phones and in their house in the province.
"People often see me scowling, especially during media coverage of PASG raids. I try to look tough because really I’m afraid of these powerful syndicates and their backers," Villar told The STAR.
However, he said the PASG’s string of successful raids and the support of the public give him and his personnel strength to pursue their mandate.
Last week, his men raided a high-end service shop in Makati City and seized 81 luxury vehicles, worth an estimated P200 million, suspected to have been smuggled and legally registered with the help of unscrupulous officials at the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Land Transportation Office.
The luxury vehicles, including some 20 BMWs and Lamborghinis, were believed to be owned by powerful politicians, who last week tried to intervene with PASG operatives to have their cars released.
San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, son of former President Joseph Estrada, was one those who reportedly tried to reclaim some of the vehicles, saying he has papers to prove ownership but the PASG operatives said his documents would be checked first.
Last June, Villar announced that some powerful politicians tried to seek the help of Malacañang to effect the release of more than P500 million worth of smuggled goods but Mrs. Arroyo backed him up.
Officials said since its formation, the PASG has recovered billions worth of smuggled goods ranging from bunker oil, plastic resins to electronic equipment, and file charges against various suspected smugglers and their protectors at the BoC.
The move put him at odds with Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, whom Villar claims is allegedly responsible for the entry of billions of pesos worth of smuggled goods in the country.
The PASG has also filed charges against some big oil firms in Subic for alleged smuggling of bunker fuel.
"If you really think about it, PASG is redundant. If the BoC is doing its job well, we don’t need to be here," Villar told reporters in a previous interview.
Referring to politicians allegedly protecting big-time smuggling syndicates, Villar said: "You have profited so much in the past years, it’s time to think of our country, so let go. Your bellies are already bulging with profits from smuggling activities."
The PASG, which was created under Executive Order 624, is under the Office of the President and has the power and function to apprehend, seize, investigate, and prosecute acts involving smuggling, unlawful importation, and other similar violations particularly of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines. By PAOLO ROMERO - The Philippine Star
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
4:54 PM
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