Posted on 03 Dec 2015
Twenty-eight shipping container vans loaded with substandard steel products have been spirited out from Manila ports through public auction in alleged connivance with Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials.
A highly reliable source in BOC disclosed on Wednesday that the 28 containers of steel angle bars, 25 of them consigned to Thunder Birds Trading and three to GTB Industrial Network, were auctioned off even as these were not certified by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
A copy of a letter obtained by Manila Bulletin confirmed the release of the “uncertified angle bars” of the two firms in a bidding held last Aug. 8, 2014 and May 21.
The Steel Angles, Shapes and Sections Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SASSMAPI) wrote BOC Commissioner Alberto Lina about the sale and pending auction of uncertified angle bars, which the agency’s Intelligence Group seized.
“The said auction was released from BOC without cutting/destruction of angle bars into non-commercial length by the winning bidder and did not undergo magna scale,” Ramon Tan, SASSMAPI Vice President for External Affairs, said.
Tan told Lina that there are 47 containers of steel products, in which 18 containers were inspected by joint BOC, DTI, and industry representatives are up for auction.
“Another 102 containers are waiting for the final decision,” he said.
In a separate letter, SASSMAPI also called the attention of Deputy Commissioner Agaton Uvero for Assessment, Operations and Coordinating Group regarding the possible anomalies on various shipments of steel angle bars in August.
Among these steel angle bars had entry numbers 82806, 81276, 82258, 19242, 21206, 16988, 17006 and 9956 of Remington Industrial Sales Corp., New Fruit Life Inc., MHPHS Phils. Inc., Maeno Giken Inc., and St. Vince Trading.
“All these shipments were processed by respective ports but our Industry Technical Experts (ITE) under Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) were not asked to comment on these shipments. Imports of steel angle bars need special processing,” the group said.
Yet, both Lina and Uvero have not lifted a finger on the complaints of SASSMAPI, the source said.
Last October, SASSMAPI officials had a meeting with Lina, whom they reminded that uncertified and substandard angle bars should be subject to destruction under the law.
Steel angle bars must comply with Philippine National Standards (PNS) 657:2008 under the DTI-Bureau of Product Standards Mandatory Product Certification, they said.
