THE government has heeded the calls of good governance and consumer groups to look into the alleged rice smuggling at a seaport in Manila. Customs Commissioner Alberto D. Lina said his office will investigate the said irregularity, vowing to settle each issue raised by concerned groups.
“I will ask my people to go to Harbour Center Port to look into this, but this is the first time I heard about it,” he said. “We’ll ensure everything is settled here.”
The customs bureau is tasked to run after smugglers at ports and airports nationwide.
Last week, Jayson Luna, a member of the board of directors of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers, formally lodged a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Harbour Center Port Terminal Inc. (HCPTI) for the alleged illegal storage of imported rice.
In his five-page complaint affidavit dated October 19, Luna said the port’s warehouse is being used illegally to store imported rice without written authorization from the NFA.
Mario Alegre, national convener of the Alliance for Good Philippine Government, also urged the Philippine Ports Authority to investigate reports of rice smuggling and other illegal activities in all port communities nationwide.
HCPTI is serving as one of the trans-shipment hubs of the government’s rice-importation program although its permit is being questioned.