Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina has thrown his support to a Lower House resolution urging an immediate investigation into pork smuggling.
“We at the BOC have always been unrelenting in our efforts to combat smuggling in any form, be it livestock products or otherwise. The bureau supports any intervention from its colleagues in the government to help curb smuggling in any form,” Lina said in response to Bayan Muna partylist representative Neri Colmenares’ recent call for an urgent deliberation on the “proliferation of smuggled pork.”
Colmenares led the filing of House Resolution No. 2681, which asks the Lower House Committee on Agriculture to conduct an immediate investigation into pork smuggling.
He said the issue needed urgent attention and resolution by Congress “in view of the fact that the proliferation of smuggled pork could be dangerous to the health of the consuming public, and moreover, to immediately stop what (are currently) the severe effects of this smuggling (on) the local hog raisers.”
He added: “Aside from outright smuggling, there is also a need to investigate the proliferation of technical smuggling, wherein import traders misdeclare imported prime pork cuts as offal, so as to evade paying heavier tariff rates imposed on prime pork cuts.”
A national alliance of swine producers, led by the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc., Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, and National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc., last month also complained of rampant smuggling of meat into the country.
In a statement, Lina stressed that the BOC has come out with various issuances on valuation that aim to establish a uniform reference value for imported poultry, pork, and beef products.
It may be recalled that in October 2015, Lina had issued a memorandum requiring all shipments in refrigerated containers to be examined in the presence of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura and Federation of Philippine Industries Inc.
BOC said all these actions and issuances were part of BOC’s effort to promote transparency.
“As complementary measure, the BOC is now in the process of procuring reefer facilities to facilitate the inspection requirement as mandated by the Food Security Law and to avoid unnecessary delays and expenses which may be incurred not only by the government but also by the stakeholders,” Lina said.
Last year, Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero, deputy commissioner of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, said comparisons between BOC and Department of Agriculture (DA) import statistics showed misdeclarations of agricultural imports, mainly because there is no mechanism for the full examination of refrigerated shipments.
As for the petition for more stringent requirements in accrediting importers, BOC has been pushing for the waiver by importers of the bank secrecy law as a counter-measure to technical smuggling. In return, the customs agency said importers may be accorded special privileges such as faster release of their shipments, according them the Super Green Lane status, and being given least priority in post audit.
“The tight and tedious processing of agricultural products (is) all part of the commitment of BOC, along with the Department of Agriculture and other government agencies, in its fight to minimise, if not, eradicate smuggling,” Lina reiterated.
With the welfare of the livestock industry in mind, Lina gave the assurance that the BOC will continuously combat agricultural smuggling “in all forms, in all ports and at all costs.”
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala recently wrote Lina requesting the BOC and its mother agency, the Department of Finance, to implement a provision in the Food Safety Act of 2013 that orders all food importations to be first inspected and cleared for release at the first ports of entry by the DA and Department of Health before the shipments are assessed by customs.
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