Representatives of a cement merchants group disclosed Friday that the company operated by “Pampi” Lacson, the son of Senator Panfilo Lacson, was engaged in technical smuggling by under-declaring the value of cement being imported.
This revelation comes on top of pronouncements by outgoing Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon that the younger Lacson was into the unlawful activity.
For his part, Senator Lacson retorted, “there is no such thing as smuggling of cement because cement is not subject to Customs tariff and duties.”
The company of Pampi Lacson, Bonjourno Trading, is reported to have accounted for the highest volume of cement brought in from a roster of eight importers who have been suspected to committing anomalous practices.
Records furnished by the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CEMAP) indicated that, of 13 shipments handled by Bonjourno, only one shipment was in accord with the freight rate prescribed by the Department of Trade and Industry.
The 12 other shipments were tagged with freight rates below the DTI threshold of US$16.65 per metric tonne from Vietnam, and $10/MT from China. These 12 shipments reportedly came in at $9/MT.
According to Ernesto Ordoñez, President of CEMAP, “we are concerned that, if you go out to the market today, you have substandard cement. You have cement that has no manufacturing date. Cement that’s old. And those things are not local. Those are imported.
CEMAP claims that it has communicated its concerns to the Bureau of Customs since October last year. “The problem is that they [BOC] did not prosecute anyone. We in the private sector are waiting for some action.”
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