2 Tuesday July 28,2009
Manila Bulletin
By ELENA L. ABEN
The Philippine Navy has confiscated more than P10 million worth of smuggled goods, including some 10,800 sacks of Vietnamese rice and 4,000 sacks of refined sugar, during a maritime patrol in Sulu and Basilan. Navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, said reports reaching the Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas Boulevard in Manila showed that BRP Jose Loor (PG 390), skippered by Lt. Reymond Umbac, was conducting maritime interdiction operation last week off Belan Point in Jolo when it sighted a watercraft transiting to Jun Dilan wharf in a suspicious manner. Arevalo said the Navy vessel immediately intercepted the watercraft and conducted board and search procedure. The watercraft with 12 crew and 10 passengers was identified M/L Menham and owned by a certain Hadji Hamsi Puntukan Hamsiraji. Inspection of the watercraft reportedly yielded some P8.25 million worth of dutiable goods comprised of 8,800 sacks of Vietnamese rice, 2,000 sacks of Thailand refined sugar, and other assorted food stuffs in cartons. Arevalo said it was also discovered that 800sacks of rice and 1,000sacksof sugar were misdeclared. The origin of the smuggled items is still unknown. The confiscated items were immediately turned over to the Bureau of Custom (BoC) Jolo port operation officer in the presence of Cdr. Ronnei Paba, Commander of the Naval Task Group "Sulu."Earlier, the Philippine Navy vessel IBRP Anastacio Cacayurin (PG387)'1skippered by Lt. Bernie Lim was also conducting maritime patrol in the west coast of Basilan province when it sighted an unknown watercraft transiting the vicinity northeast of Pilas Island. The Navy vessel immediately intercepted the watercraft and conducted board and search procedure. The watercraft was identified as M/L Fatima Zhiea operated by a certain Nursin Aukusa and owned by a certain Hji Eyam Kajibon of Isabela City. An inspection of the intercepted watercraft reportedly yielded some P2.7 million worth of dutiable goods from Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.
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