Alleged Customs payoff bared
FPI chairman Jesus Arranza. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) on Tuesday disclosed at a Senate hearing the alleged payoff in the accreditation of importers with the Bureau of Customs (BoC).
FPI chairman Jesus Arranza made the disclosure before the Senate committee on ways and means inquiring into the group’s study which showed that the government lost more than P1.33 trillion in revenue from 2002 to 2011 due to technical smuggling
“I have nothing against the broker but I have a friend who is not working now. He put up his own company so the first time he would like to import, he called a broker,” Arranza told the committee being chaired by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara.
“The broker came with a list of 10 companies. [The broker] told him, here are the 10 companies, they are already registered, accredited in the Customs. Just choose what you want to use,” he said in Filipino.
“So in the accreditation, there’s a payoff in the accreditation,” he added.
Arranza then suggested that the accreditation of importers or companies should now be conducted by the Department of Finance.
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