|
By William B. Depasupil, Reporter
SOME 22,000 sacks of smuggled imported sugar
worth P30 million were uncovered by the Presidential Anti-Smuggling
Group (PASG)in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
The PASG head, Undersecretary Antonio
“Bebot” Villar Jr., said criminal charges would be filed before
the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the warehouse owner and the
importer after PASG operatives were through with their
investigation.
According to Villar, the hot goods were stored
inside an unnamed sugar warehouse, which is also being used as a
repacking station, inside the Starling Compound, Meridian Industrial
Park in Meycauayan.
Initial investigations revealed that the owner
of the warehouse is a certain Danny Corral who is still in hiding.
Coral is reportedly a wholesaler of sugar in Metro Manila and
Central Luzon.
PASG operatives, Villar added, also discovered
that the smuggled sugar were repacked in sacks printed with names of
local sugar producers, like the Central Azucarera de Bais, Inc. in
Negros Oriental and Victoria’s Milling Company, Inc. and First
Farmers Holding Corporation in Negros Occidental.
The continuous operation of the PASG against
unscrupulous sugar traders is in accordance with the memorandum of
agreement (MOA) between the PASG and the Sugar Regulatory
Administration (SRA).
Earlier, PASG operatives also seized
P150-million worth of illegally imported exotic fowl meat and
aquatic produce at a cold storage facility in Navotas, Metro Manila.
The raid on the Common Cold Storage Facilities
came two weeks after the same team, led by Police Supt. Johnny
Bacbac, pounced on two warehouses in the nearby San Rafael Village
containing stocks of imported Peking duck and other aquatic produce.
The Navotas raid yielded frozen Peking duck,
rice duck, Hong Kong geese, pork shrimp and imported fish as well as
onions and garlic contained in eleven freezer vans and fifteen
chillers. Also found were giant squids, salmon heads and other meat
products like Angus beef, chicken and pork.
“We should be strict on the importation of
these exotic fowl meats since intelligence reports indicated they
did not pass scrutiny by veterinary authorities in the country of
origin, in this case China. For sure, said shipment does not have
clearance from concerned government agencies, like the Bureau of
Animal Industry,” Villar said.
Villar recently raised the alarm against the
possible outbreak of the avian flu virus in the country for fear
that the unregulated importation of exotic fowl meats may result in
a health tragedy of unimaginable proportion.
He blamed some Customs officials for the
proliferation of these smuggled fowl meats, which are the favorites
of Filipino-Chinese clientele patronizing Chinese restaurants
offering these dishes.
‘“There will be no letdown in the operation
against illegal importers of exotic fowl meat. PASG is concerned
with public health. Just one slip and everything may go haywire as
far as the avian flu virus is concerned. Customs should not endanger
the lives of the public simply for their own vested interest,”
Villar said.
|
