Thai rice fiasco leads to dismissal of 2 Customs men
Two top personalities of the Bureau of Customs in the Port of Iloilo have been found guilty of grave misconduct and dishonesty by the Office of the Ombudsman. The corresponding penalty is grave as well – dismissal from service with forfeiture of all benefits.
Another veteran Customs officer, a Customs Guard, was found guilty as well of a “lesser charge” – conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Said Custom Guard has been meted a six-month suspension without pay.
The Order was received yesterday by the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas.
The News Today (TNT) obtained a copy of the 35-paged Order as docketed in OMB – V- A- 04-0103 – C.
Dismissed from service are former Iloilo District Collector Gerardo S. Gonzales Jr., now based in Cebu, and Customs Guard Ernesto L. Chan.
Suspended was Customs Guard Jerry Soquiño yet it was all good news for Customs Operations Officer III Sedy Pabiona.
For lack of sufficient evidence, Pabiona has been cleared by the anti-graft body.
The trio’s legal woes stemmed from a shipment of rice back in March 2000.
The Iloilo Customs men apparently apprehended the shipment on suspicions that it was imported from Taiwan and lacked necessary documents.
A warrant of seizure was eventually issued by Gonzales Jr. that led to a lengthy legal battle with a complaint lodged thereafter against Gonzales Jr. and the Iloilo Port Customs executives.
Among the complaints then was that the shipment or portion of it was sold without authority.
An in-house probe by the Customs Central office was made wherein recommended was the filing of corresponding administrative charges.
The Ombudsman in resolving the case moved to establish the number of seized sacks of rice.
“This Office believes that there were 39,000 sacks of rice seized; that there was a concerted effort to deprive the government of millions of pesos…..who is/are responsible for the missing sacks of rice resulting to loss of revenue to the government amounting to more than Ten Million Pesos?,” excerpts of the Decision went. “…….Obviously, there were no missing sacks of rice. The sacks of rice were withdrawn and sold to the winning bidder but not reported to the government. Thus could not have been made without the knowledge and approval – should we say instruction of Customs Collector Gerardo Gonzales Jr.”
The Ombudsman noted that the Customs misdeeds caused the government over P10 million in lost revenues.
“This is an enormous amount which could have been used by the government to provide basic services to the people especially the poor,” the Decision added.
The Ombudsman decision is executory. Only a Court-issued Temporary Restraining Order can halt the implementation.