The Bureau of Customs (BoC) cited a circular of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Customs tariff code in arresting two Japanese who tried bringing into the country cash amounting to P2.25 million.
BoC Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the agency made the citation to answer  why the supposed tourists were apprehended recently at the Ninoy Aquino Internatioanl Airport (NAIA) by Customs operatives.
At the orders of Biazon, Customs authorities have been relentlessly  stepping up their campagin against smuggling.
In doing so, the BoC has managed to curb not only smuggling but illegal drugs and money laundering as well.
Taking notice of BoC’s improving performance, other sectors are starting to cooperate with the agency in  promoting the government’s daang matuwid program.
At the Kapihan sa Aduana yesterday, Fedration of Philippine Industries (FPI) chairman Jesus Arranza said he will take up with Biazon next the undervaluation of vegetable oil imports.
Arranza said the average price of vegetable oil in the global market is around $1,300 per metric ton while those entering the country had declared values of from $1,152 per metric ton to $415 per metric ton.
With regards to the apprehended tourists, Biazon said the Japanese apparently violated a BSP circular and a provision of the Customs tariff code by attempting to bring in more than $10,000 in cash.
Under the BSP circular and Customs tariff code, incoming tourists are not allowed to bring in more than $10,000. If they are to carry more than the said money, the tourists are supposed to declare such in their Customs declaration forms, Biazon explained.
Biazon said the Japanese  failed to declare the huge amount they were carrying in their Customs declaration forms.
Worse, he said the money was found by alert Customs operatives hidden inside a bottle of liquor.
For a job well done, Biazon commended his wards led by BoC deputy collector for passenger services Thess Roque. Roque’s group was responsible for the arrest of Shitara Sakae and Katsuo Jimbo.
Meanwhile, Biazon has been receiving praises from various sectors for his dedication to rid BoC of graft and corruption. His efforts to reform the graft-ridden agency are inspiring BoC personnel to improve their performance.
Earlier, BoC operatives had seized  three kilos of shabu amounting to P15 million from a Singaporean national trying to smuggle the illegal drugs into the country via the NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City.
The agency also intercepted thousands of sacks of smuggled rice in Subic Freeport, a feat commended by Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
Pangilinan said if not for Biazon, the tons of smuggled rice could have entered into the local market and adversely affected the livelihood of  the country’s farmers.
The BoC, with the help of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (MICP-CIIS) operatives under Bienvenido Rubio, also alerted and caused the seizure of four 40-footer container vans of illegally imported onions that worth over P10 million from China.
Biazon said the illegal onion shipment arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) few weeks ago in three separate shipment and was also consigned to three trading companies.
One container van was consigned to Kremple Import Export Trading, the second container van was consigned to RSG Marketing, while the remaining two were consigned to Reachable Enterprises.
“I have warned time and again that misdeclaration would soon be a thing of the past at the Bureau of Customs because of our enhanced monitoring of all cargo movement at the ports, most especially the Agricultural products and food importations, to protect the interest of our local farmers,” Biazon said.
Biazon also added that importers of those onions from China declared their shipment as pears and dry goods.