Rustans kakasuhan ng PASG

NAKATAKDANG kasu-han ng Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) ang Rustan’s sa sandaling makumpleto nila ang im-bestigasyon kaugnay sa pagpapasok nito ng mga ‘undervalued’ na ‘imported products’ kabilang ang mga ‘signature shirts.’

Ayon kay PASG chief Un-dersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., bilyong piso ang nawawala sa kaban ng gobyerno dahil sa technical smuggling na ito ng Rustan Marketing, Rustan Commercian, Store Specialist at Rustan Coffee Corporation.

Sinabi ni Usec. Villar, nag-tataka siya kung bakit pina-yagan ng Bureau of Customs (BoC) na magbayad lamang ng humigit kumulang sa P20 milyon ang Rustans gayung dapat ay daang milyon ang babayaring taxes at penalties.

“The four companies do not declare their shipment specifically, enabling them to dictate what value to declare in their imports,” ani Villar.

Ipinaliwanag naman ni PASG intelligence chief Jaih Francia, sa nakuha nilang mga invoices sa Rustan’s trading firms na hindi nito idinedek-larang ang totoong value ng kanilang mga inaangkat na produkto upang mabawasan ang kanilang bayaring taxes and duties.

“Take the case of Global trading International which is based in U.S. In the invoice you would see that for the item ladies skirt, it cost only $11.4 per dozen which means one skirt cost only less than a dollar. And these are US brands such as Polo and La-coste that Rustan’s carries,” wika pa ni Francia.

Bukod dito, dagdag pa ni Francia, may mga wallet, handbags, make-ups, at skin care products na idineklara ng Rustan’s na undervalued sa totoong halaga nito gayung mga kilalang brands na galing Europe pa ang mga ito.

Nang padalhan ng BoC Post Entry Audit Group ang Rustan’s noong Abril para sa importation nito mula 2004 hanggang 2007 ay biglang nag-avail ito ng Voluntary Disclosure Program.

Ang Rustan’s group ay pinamumunuan ni dating Ambassador Bienvenido Tan-toco na kilalang crony ni yu-maong Pangulong Marcos habang ang anak nitong si Rico Tantoco na pangulo ng Rustan’s ay biyenan naman ng anak ni Rep. Ignacio Arroyo na bayaw naman ni Pangu-long Arroyo. Journal online

Importers’ documents for sale to smugglers

By William B. Depasupil, Reporter

ACCREDITATION of importers at the Bureau of Customs is for sale, one of the reasons the bureau is having a hard time running after big-time smugglers.

The accreditation for sale racket was confirmed to The Manila Times by a highly reliable Customs source following a series of seizures of smuggled goods worth hundreds of millions of pesos by Customs combined and Presidential Antismuggling Group (PASG) agents. The importers were found to be fictitious.

“Anybody could get a hassle-free accreditation if you come across with them [corrupt personnel],” the source said, adding that “it ranges from P30,000 to P50,000.” He added:

“You will be spared from the usual routine inspection and other documentary requirements, and you get your accreditation within the day.”

The Times has learned that there were some 15,000 accredited importers. In applying for accreditation, one needs to submit all the legal requisites, like business registration papers, and other documents to prove the firm’s legitimacy.

In addition, an actual verification of the office address and a photo of the business location and registered name outside should also be made by authorized Customs personnel.

Commissioner Napoleon Morales vowed to address the perennial problem of spurious accreditation as he ordered an immediate inventory of all accredited importers to determine if they have complied with the requirements.

“I am directing Deputy Commissioner [Reynaldo] Umali to explain if those importers were accredited,” Morales told The Times. “If they are accredited but turned out to be fictitious, they [Umali] will answer for it.”

Morales has earlier transferred the authority to accredit importers and brokers to the Customs legal service from the Customs intelligence and investigation service.

Umali, aside from being a deputy commissioner, is also the head of the accreditation unit and the legal division. Ironically, Umali is also concurrent executive director of the Run After the Smugglers (RATS) program of the bureau.

The Times called up Umali twice yesterday to get his side but nobody answered the phone in his office.

Records show that the RATS unit has filed more than a hundred cases against suspected smugglers before the justice department, but none could be considered a “big fish.”

Recently, Customs and PASG men seized P200-million worth of regulated and highly-taxable goods. Follow-up investigation, however, revealed that the consignees were fictitious.

“We verified the addresses listed but we found out that they were nonexistent,” Undersecretary Antonio Villar, the PASG chief, said