Smuggling raps filed against 3 Cebuano Customs brokers

Three Cebuano Customs brokers and three more from other places are facing smuggling-related complaints that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed with the Department of Justice yesterday.

Accused of importing rice without permits are Marvin Mendoza, owner and proprietor of Silent Royalty Marketing, and the firm’s Customs brokers: Francis Rudolfh Forneste, Kenneth Quial, Elbert Lusterio, Denise Kathryn Rosaroso and John Kevin Cisneros.

Quial is from barangay Day-as Cordova; Rosaroso is from Minglanilla while Cisneros is from barangay Sto. Niño, Cebu City.

BOC District Collectors Mario Mendoza of the Port of Manila; Elmir Dela Cruz of the Manila International Container Port; and Roberto Almadin of the Port of Cebu filed the complaints.

The cases stemmed from the illegal importation of 16 million kilos of rice from September to December 2013 through the ports in Manila and Cebu without National Food Authority (NFA) permits, BOC Commissioner John Sevilla said.

Of the 16 million kilos imported, more than 6.5 million kilos entered through the Port of Manila; more than 4.4 million kilos were through the Manila International Container Port; and close to 5.3 million kilos were delivered through the Port of Cebu.

None of the shipments were covered by import permit from the NFA.

The rice came from Vietnam and Thailand with an estimated market value of P648 million.

“Our laws explicitly state the need for permits from the NFA to import rice,” Sevilla said.

“We are following the rule of law. Let this be a lesson to unscrupulous rice traders that the bureau will uphold the welfare of our farmers,” he added.

They face 49 counts of infringing Section 3601 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP), and 49 counts of violating Section 29 of a Presidential Decree which states that only the NFA can import rice and private entities who wish to do so must secure a permit from the agency.

Each count of violating Section 3601 of the TCCP carries a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of P50,000.

Violation of P.D. No. 4 is levied a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment and a fine of P8,000.00 per count.

Earlier this month, the BOC filed smuggling cases against Bold Bidder Marketing for the illegal entry of rice which was brokered by Rosaroso, Cisneros, Forneste and Lusterio.

Charo Logarta, information officer of BOC Central Office, disclosed through a text message that all imported rice are at the three ports and will be auctioned off.