By VINCE BORNEO
National Unity Party .
THREE House Committees (Good Government and Public Accountability, Local Government, and Ecology) that included Representatives Juliette Uy (Misamis Oriental, 2nd District) Henry Oaminal (Misamis Occidental 2nd District), Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna Party-List), Lawrence Fortun (Agusan Del Norte 1st District), Malou Acosta-Alba (Bukidnon 1st District), Frederick Siao (Iligan City), Gary Alejano (Magdalo Party-List) and Rogelio Neil Roque (Bukidnon, 4th District) conducted its last congressional hearing on the Verde Soko illegal garbage shipment in Cagayan de Oro and in the process ferreted out more details on the apparent conspiracy of crooked government officials in the controversy.
Some details for this week to ponder on.
Officials of the Bureau of Customs Region 10, Phividec Industrial Authority and possibly the local governments in the province of Misamis Oriental, the Municipality of Tagoloan and Barangay Sta. Cruz where more than 5,000 metric tons of misdeclared South Korean trash remain will eventually be charged by the appropriate authorities to account for violating the following laws:
1. Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019), particularly Section 3 (E) that states “… causing any undue injury to any party including the Government or giving any party any unwarranted benefits in the discharge of his official administrative function through manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence.”
2. Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003), particularly Section 48 (12) Importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as “recyclable” or “with recyclable content”; and,
3. Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act (RA No. 6969), particularly Section 13 (d) Cause, aid or facilitate, directly or indirectly, in the storage, importation, or bringing into Philippines territory, including its maritime economic zones, even in transit, either by means of land, air or sea transportation or otherwise keeping in storage any amount of hazardous and nuclear wastes in any part of the Philippines.
Bureau of Customs-10 District Collector Floro Calixihan Jr. for one, had so may alleged illegal actions in violation of the aforementioned laws. Among them are the following:
1. Acting like an employee of Verde Soko II Philippines Industrial Corporation - the consignee of the 5,176.91 metric tons of illegal and hazardous garbage shipment misdeclared as “plastic synthetic flakes” – when he signed a letter prepared by Verde Soko days before the illegal garbage shipment arrived. In the said letter, dated July 19, 2018, Calixihan approved the entry of the illegal garbage import of Verde Soko without any inspection. The said shipment arrived on July 21, 2018;
2. Without inspection, then Mindanao Container Terminal (Tagoloan) Sub-Port Collector, now District Collector Calixihan, Jr. admitted authorizing the physical transfer of the shipments of garbage from the port to Verde Soko facilities and he did not collect the necessary customs duties and taxes; and,
3. using Customs Memorandum Order 18-2010 to justify non-inspection and expediting the transfer of the illegal garbage shipment to Verde Soko premises in Sitio Buguac, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental despite tell-tale signs of misdeclaration.
Plainly, Calixihan is among those responsible for allowing the biggest illegal garbage shipment to land in the country.
Calixihan has also been involved in past controversies in the BOC. He has allegedly been involved in the disappearance of 20 containers on various dates from February to June 2011 that was part of the 1,626 containers reported missing in 2011, which led to the resignation of then Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez in September 2011 (See: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/476795/2-customs-execs-tied-to-smuggling-promoted).
In the spirit of transparency and ridding government of corruption, the BOC chief, Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero should probably rid his agency of possible shady characters like the one sitting in Region 10.
(Vince Borneo is a legislative staff in the House of Representatives.)
