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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.
bizzfizz_98@yahoo.com
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