MANILA, Philippines – Nag-isyu ng warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) ang Bureau of Customs (BOC) laban sa isang Liberian-flagged cargo ship dahil sa pagtambay at pakalat-kalat nito sa dagat ng Bohol mula pa noong nakaraang linggo habang patungo sa port ng Kinuura, Japan.
Ayon kay Commissioner Bien Rubio, bagamat walang natagpuang kontrabando sa loob ng Liberian-flagged M/V Ohshu Maru, inisyu ang WSD noong Mayo 3 kasama ang isang Notice of Preliminary Conference Hearing.
“The WSD is issued because the captain did not issue a Notice of Arrival when the vessel started drifting to the Bohol Sea, which as I understand from the field report, started last April 22. Under our rules, the ship’s master only has 24 hours after its arrival to file a notice or protest explaining the circumstances of the change in its course,” paliwanag ni Rubio.
Idinagdag din niya na ininspeksyon ng team na binubuo ng Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service – Cagayan de Oro (CIIS-CDO), Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), at Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ang barko noong Mayo 1 ngunit walang nakitang illegal na kargamento na nagpapakita ng kaugnayan nito sa umano’y smuggling activity.
Naglabas naman ng undertaking at Letter of Apology na may petsang Mayo 1 ang master ng barko na si Capt. Pepito M. Agmata, para ipaliwanag kung bakit napadpad ang barko sa dagat ng Pilipinas.
“Capt. Agmata was also adamant that he and his crew did not allow any vessel to come close to their ship while it drifted to Bohol Sea. But while the letter expressed his apology for not reporting immediately, the vessel must still be subjected to seizure proceedings because it is the proper forum for Mr. Agmata to explain what happened,” ani CIIS Director Verne Enciso.
Ani Enciso, ang paliwanag ng kapitan ay isasailalim pa sa approval sa ilalim ng Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) at iba pang mga umiiral na batas, panuntunan at regulasyon.
Inirekomenda ng WSD na ilagay muna ang barko sa patuloy na monitoring ng Navy at Coast Guard hanggang mailabas na ang clearance mula sa kaukulang ahensya ng pamahalaan.
Maaaring maharap ang master at mga crew ng barko sa reklamong paglabag sa Sections 214, 218, 300, at 1212 ng CMTA, Customs Memorandum Circular (CMC) 08-2019, at Customs Administrative Order (CAO) 15-2020. RNT/JGC
