Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) Cebu chief Rico PAlcuto went to the office of District Collector Boysie Belmonte with Ombudsman Virginia Santiago to ask for copies of the manifests and related documents.
They also set office at the Cebu International Port (CIP). And Ely Baquero said they have a night vision telescope in place.
Dako nga tara ang tirada or they have funding from the car dealers?
I still have to hear from the Customs side.
It took me a long while to buy the kids the latest Harry Potter book. But I’m happy there are books that can keep the attention of today’s "sound-byte" generation.
For us who were in the thick of the fight against the Marcos dictatorship during the early 80s, Inday Nita Cortes-Daluz was an icon.
She was a symbol of protest and she had that magic that prods ordinary people to instant action when issues a call.
I remember well those early days when some activist friends from various sectoral groups organized the dawn "Jog for Freedom" that started from the SSS building at Jones Avenue and ended at Fuente Osmeña.
We were about 1,000 that grew by small increments every day.
However, when Inday Nita threw her support for the daily jogging protests, I was surprised to see people in yellow shirts all over Fuente Osmeña.
In just one day, our 1,000 joggers grew to 10,000 or more.
Well, I miss those days when the issues were clear and we had the likes of Inday Nita and Fr. Rudy Romano by our side.
Years later, the masses and the allies who supported Inday Nita seemed to have abandoned her in her quest against the hegemony of the Osmeñas.
It seems elite democracy had clouded the issues and Inday Nita was elbowed out into the sidelines of traditional politics.
Still, Inday Nita, who will be buried today, remains an icon for freedom.
Smugglers of cheap rice from Vietnam will soon face another problem next month. Aside from the intramural between the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and Customs Commissioner Boy Morales in Manila, they will have to deal with a ban for the exportation of rice in Vietnam.
This I gathered from a very reliable source.
I, however, trust smugglers to find a way of getting around this. But they will have to tiptoe around the eyes of Vietnamese authorities aside from Filipinos bureacrats.
As of the moment, players in the Philippine exportation scene have to deal with the PASG and Boy Morales problem.
Its a fact in the Philippines that a huge percentage of the imports are mis-declared. The mis-declared goods are either surplus or luxury vehicles, cheap rice, used clothings, and a host of other products.
If the government stops this, they will either stop importing or bring these cargo through "swing operations" which means direct smuggling. In effect, government revenues from customs drops.
This precisely happened in recent months when customs revenues dropped.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as head of the Blue Ribbon Committee? Why not Sen. Ping Lacson so he could pursue his unfinished investigations? Or Sen. Joker Arroyo to clearly signify Senate President Manny Villar’s preference between the administration or the opposition?
I think Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is too new in the Senate for this committee. But then, he seems more like a gray area to me. He used to be with the First Gentleman then left. Later, he started working with Lacson but now the former police chief-turned senator won’t touch Cayetano with even with stick.
My Superbalita reporters are finding it hard to dig up records on "coring" results at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Getting these records is one way of uncovering the alleged asphalt anomaly during the preparations for the ASEAN summit. My source told me the current OIC ordered the coring operations to force the contractors to shell out "silence" money.
A highly placed contact told me that Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) chief Antonio Villar has the full trust of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This despite the silent protests staged by importers and brokers as well as the damage to the economy all these will do.
As a result, local importers and brokers are at a loss at what to do. The PASG is asking them a very high ‘tara’ for every container.
They are also asking themselves: what is the president’s agenda? Is she angry her favored SEnate bets lost last May?
NOnetheless, the hope now is the possibility of a compromise with PASG. Ihatag na lang kuno sa PASG ang ilang gusto kon mosugot nga pagamyan ang tara. The alternative is: no money for PASG pockets, no business for the businessmen, bad for the Philippine economy, bad for GMA.
I’ve just made a new blog akokulom.wordpress.com where I plan to post all my English and Bisaya columns. Karlo’s idea actually but I think it’s good.
We will be going today to Cantao-an, Naga for the inauguration of the first SME Industrial Park in the country, thanks to Planters Development Bank and Ambassador Jesus Tambunting. SMEs locating at the park will enjoy privileges previously enjoyed only by the truly big players.
The guests expected to grace the occasion are Secretary Cerge Remonde, Gov. Gwen Garcia and Mayor Val Chiong.
More on this after the event.
Everybody in Customs are talking about an order upstairs (from Commissioner Boy MOrales) that smuggling should be stopped but only for three months.
But smuggling cannot be totally stopped. The players will only lie low and wait until the new anti-smuggling task force starts accepting bribes.
Moreover, more money will be concentrated to the people upstairs. Gutom na sad maayo. Mahugtanay og baso sa gagmay in Cebu apan busdik ang naa sa kaulohan.
