Customs just seized 500 million sacks of rice which allegedly were smuggled to the Philippines from India. Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon says that those who imported the rice did not pay the duties and they don't have the papers to allow them this importation. Had this shipment been undetected and allowed passage into our markets, surely, this would have affected the price of rice.
I commend Biazon for this patriotic act. He, together with Deputy Commissioner Danny Lim, stopped the group who tried to smuggle these rice out of its Subic bay warehouse.
The thing that several people asked--why only now that Customs announced this smuggling operation, when the shipment actually arrived last April, which was four months ago. Why only now?
Don't tell me that Customs tried to give these smugglers a chance to correct their documents before seizure?
An illegal shipment charge rises when an undocumented cargo lands in Philippine territory. Without proper clearance, this cargo or shipment is already declared illegal, and there is no post-facto law that deems it or gives it legitimacy.
People responsible for this attempted smuggling (according to Customs, which I think this is already a pure smuggling act) should be made accountable.
No big-time smuggler has been given the dressing down in public and no one is actually behind bars.
I think before Ruffy leaves Customs and starts his senatorial campaign, maybe give us at least one or two Smugglers' heads? Is this a hard thing to ask?
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