Senators don’t believe own witnesses in Subic rice smuggling probe

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. FILE PHOTO

Senators agreed Tuesday night to cite in contempt two witnesses in their investigation of the alleged rice smuggling at Subic Freeport.

A Senate source identified the two as Indian national Protik Guha, an India-based rice exporter, and Cesar Ramirez of the Federation of San Miguel Farmers Cooperative.

The senators suspended their session Tuesday afternoon and held a caucus to discuss the agriculture committee’s investigation of the rice-smuggling case.

In an earlier interview, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile noted that at least five witnesses invited to appear at the three hearings of the committee “lied” during their testimonies.

Guha is believed to be the source of the P500 million worth of smuggled rice held in two warehouses at the Subic Freeport.

On the other hand, Ramirez is believed to have used his cooperative as a cover to mislead authorities about the real consignee of the rice shipment.

The five witnesses included Cesar Bulaon, Stefano Sano and Vicente Cuevas.

Sano was earlier chastised at one of the hearings after he admitted dropping the name of Enrile and linking Cuevas to the Senate President in his alleged attempt to convince Subic customs authorities to release the rice shipment.

The source said all five were ordered to show cause why they should not be cited in contempt.

Senate agriculture committee chairman Senator Francis Pangilinan received their statements.

The source said that during the caucus, Pangilinan noted that those not cited in contempt provided “acceptable explanations.”

The source, however, said many of the senators still had questions about their replies to the committee but that these were accepted just the same.

Guha and Ramirez allegedly admitted in their statements that they had lied.

“So it’s only proper that the committee act on it by citing them in contempt,” the source said.

Pangilinan is expected to announce the penalties to be meted out on Guha and Ramirez this morning when his committee conducts its fourth hearing on the case.

As this developed, the Bureau of Customs on Tuesday said it would push through with the bidding and sale of another shipment of seized rice at Subic Freeport instead of turning them over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for distribution to recent flood victims.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said  they had coordinated closely with the DSWD, but the latter “has indicated that so far, their supplies were sufficient.”

According to Biazon, the 45,000 50-kg bags of smuggled Vietnamese rice seized at the Subic Freeport was “already undergoing procedures for forfeiture and preparations for disposal.”  With a report from Jerry E. Esplanada