Villar relieves all Task Force Subic personnel
Says he wants to tap fresh faces for drive against smuggling
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) Chief Antonio Villar Jr. has relieved 179 members of Task Force Subic, who are mostly retird military officers and civilians.
Undersecretary Villar announced this move during a press conference in this premier Freeport.
He said he is not retaining anybody and wants to tap fresh personnel in the fight to curtail smuggling in Subic Bay.
He issued the order for the relief of all the task force peronneL after the PASG and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) conducted an inspection at a freight-forwarding company here to investigate an attempted smuggling here of cell phones valued at R22.5 million.
Villar said he has already recruited 50 personnel for Task Force Subic, adding that 30 personnel more will be added to the team.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza, who welcomed Villar together with SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga, said the task at hand for the three agencies – Task Force Subic, BoC, and SBMA -- is to ensure that Subic is not used as springboard for smuggling.
"Technically, there is no smuggling in Subic because it is recognized as a separate Customs territory," Arreza said.
"But we cannot deny that some port users make it a jump-off point for smuggling, and that’s giving Subic a bad name," he said.
Arreza informed Villar that the SBMA adopted last year pro-active measures aimed at curbing smuggling.
These include a joint SBMA-BoC audit of oil-trading companies that netted R470.7 million in additional taxes; the seizure of 16 luxury motor vehicles last March, which led to the imposition of a moratorium on importation of high-end vehicles; a joint PASG-SBMA-BoC-TFS audit of vehicle importations last October; and the inspection and tagging of imported motor vehicles.
"The SBMA also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Customs to harmonize Customs procedures and inter-connect the monitoring systems of the two agencies," Arreza said.
In the same forum, Subic Customs Collector Marietta Zamoranos agreed that the three agencies should join forces for an effective anti-smuggling drive.
Describing the anti-smuggling efforts here as a "challenging job," Zamoranos said the BoC needs support from both the PASG and SBMA.
"We cannot do the job all by ourselves," Zamoranos said.
Villar announced that PASG operations in Subic is a 24-hour job, but he clarified that his group shares with the SBMA and BoC the task of curbing smuggling.
"We’re not here on a witch hunt, nor to blame anybody else. We’re here to help go after smugglers," the PASG chief said.
Villar, who heads PASG and TFS on concurrent capacity, was appointed head of the Subic anti-smuggling unit by President Arroyo. He took over the position vacated by the death last November of TFS chief Jose Calimlim.
Asked about his plans for TFS, Villar said he will reduce the number of task force personnel from the current 180 operatives to just 85.
By JONAS REYES - Manila Bulletin
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) Chief Antonio Villar Jr. has relieved 179 members of Task Force Subic, who are mostly retird military officers and civilians.
Undersecretary Villar announced this move during a press conference in this premier Freeport.
He said he is not retaining anybody and wants to tap fresh personnel in the fight to curtail smuggling in Subic Bay.
He issued the order for the relief of all the task force peronneL after the PASG and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) conducted an inspection at a freight-forwarding company here to investigate an attempted smuggling here of cell phones valued at R22.5 million.
Villar said he has already recruited 50 personnel for Task Force Subic, adding that 30 personnel more will be added to the team.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza, who welcomed Villar together with SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga, said the task at hand for the three agencies – Task Force Subic, BoC, and SBMA -- is to ensure that Subic is not used as springboard for smuggling.
"Technically, there is no smuggling in Subic because it is recognized as a separate Customs territory," Arreza said.
"But we cannot deny that some port users make it a jump-off point for smuggling, and that’s giving Subic a bad name," he said.
Arreza informed Villar that the SBMA adopted last year pro-active measures aimed at curbing smuggling.
These include a joint SBMA-BoC audit of oil-trading companies that netted R470.7 million in additional taxes; the seizure of 16 luxury motor vehicles last March, which led to the imposition of a moratorium on importation of high-end vehicles; a joint PASG-SBMA-BoC-TFS audit of vehicle importations last October; and the inspection and tagging of imported motor vehicles.
"The SBMA also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Customs to harmonize Customs procedures and inter-connect the monitoring systems of the two agencies," Arreza said.
In the same forum, Subic Customs Collector Marietta Zamoranos agreed that the three agencies should join forces for an effective anti-smuggling drive.
Describing the anti-smuggling efforts here as a "challenging job," Zamoranos said the BoC needs support from both the PASG and SBMA.
"We cannot do the job all by ourselves," Zamoranos said.
Villar announced that PASG operations in Subic is a 24-hour job, but he clarified that his group shares with the SBMA and BoC the task of curbing smuggling.
"We’re not here on a witch hunt, nor to blame anybody else. We’re here to help go after smugglers," the PASG chief said.
Villar, who heads PASG and TFS on concurrent capacity, was appointed head of the Subic anti-smuggling unit by President Arroyo. He took over the position vacated by the death last November of TFS chief Jose Calimlim.
Asked about his plans for TFS, Villar said he will reduce the number of task force personnel from the current 180 operatives to just 85.
By JONAS REYES - Manila Bulletin
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
7:53 AM
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