(Eagle News)—The Bureau of Customs filed on Monday charges against four importers and brokers for “gross undervaluation of imports and large-scale agricultural smuggling.”
Charged were owners and customs brokers of Granstar Premiere Sports Corporation and Seven Myth Marketing.
Fabian Go, Granstar’s owner, and customs broker Norinel Quezana were charged in connection with the illegal shipment of 112 units of brand new Vespa scooters that originated from Singapore and arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
The BoC said the shipments were valued at P3647770, a price that was “considerably lower” than the P28297167.46 real value of the shipment based on the Import Assessment Service.
“The importer and the customs broker jave violated sections 2503 (undervaluation, misclassification, misdeclaration in entry), 3602 (various fraudulent practices against Customs revenue), 3601 (unlawful importation of the tariff and Customs code of the Philippines), and article 172 (falsification by private individuals and use of falsified documents) of the Revised Penal Code,” Customs chief Isidro Lapeña said.
Leoncio Victor Mangubat, owner of Seven Myth Marketing, and customs broker Mary Faith Miro were also charged in connection with two illegal shipments from China that arrived in the Cebu port on Nov. 27 and 29, 2017.
The two, the BoC said, declared the 15 containers as having ceramic tiles, but 14 were found to contain 7150 sacks of Sinandomeng Agila and Sinandomeng Mayon rice estimated at P10013503.50 instead.
Similar charges were filed against Miro and Mangubat, in addition to the economic sabotage charges filed against them for “large-scale agricultural smuggling,” the BoC said.
“We will make sure that importers and brokers blatantly violating Customs rules and regulations will face legal action and revocation of Customs accreditation,” Lapeña added.
