Shipper: Seized rice not for PH
SUBIC Bay Freeport—The company that shipped in the 420,000 bags of Indian rice seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) this week said the shipment was temporarily stored here to keep the rice from rotting after it was rejected in Indonesia.
In a statement, the Ongkiko Manhit Custodio and Acorda law office, which represents Amira C Foods, DMMC, said its client “did not misdeclare or conceal the goods upon arrival,” adding that the rice stocks, worth at least P450 million, were not intended for unloading in the country.
It said MV Vinalines Mighty, the vessel which carried the rice shipment, had sailed to Subic Bay with the approval of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
The BOC announced the seizure of the rice stocks on Tuesday from a warehouse of Metro Eastern Trading Corp., a free port locator. The BOC took SBMA to task for the alleged attempt to smuggle the rice shipment into the country.
Amira, through its lawyers, urged the BOC to review all documentary evidence it presented and avoid prejudging its appeal.
“The Philippines was, and still is not, the final destination. Delay in the disposition of the case with the Bureau of Customs is causing great financial and reputational damage to an innocent party,” the law firm said.
Amira’s lawyers said their client was a 50-year-old trading firm that had transacted in 40 countries.
They said the confiscated bags of rice were part of a November 2011 order from an Indonesian importer. It was shipped from India in five ships, but MV Vinalines Mighty, arrived late on March 8 and was not allowed to unload its cargo.
“Our client was thus faced with the prospect of either finding another buyer or reshipping the goods back to India,” the statement said.
Concern over the shelf life of the rice cargo led Amira to Subic because it charged comparatively lower than other free ports in Southeast Asia.
After Amira contracted Metro Eastern on March 27, MV Vinalines Mighty unloaded its cargo in Subic on April 19, “under the auspices of SBMA and BOC personnel,” the lawyers said.
In the statement, Amira admitted it was approached by local importers, but the company opted to deal with a buyer from the United Arab Emirates.
While Amira finalized negotiations with its United Arab Emirates buyer in June, it said the “full execution of this transaction… is being delayed by the actions of the [BOC], which has caused great financial and reputational damage to our client, an innocent party.”
In a related development, an SBMA official who was implicated in the attempted smuggling of the seized rice denied Metro Eastern official Cesar Bulaon’s testimony before the Senate that he asked the firm to take custody of the rice and seek a buyer in the Philippines.
In a statement, Stefani Saño, SBMA senior deputy administrator, said Bulaon’s account was untrue. “I categorically deny all the allegations,” he said.
“You will not find any document linking me, or bearing my signature to that shipment.”
