By Junex Doronio
SAYING THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS MADE AN “EXEMPLARY WORK”, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G Romualdez has lauded the BOC for apprehending a suspected big-time onion smuggler of some P78.9 million worth of illegally imported agricultural products.
Romualdez noted that the apprehension of Jayson de Roxas Taculog who was suspected of large-scale onion smuggling was a “milestone” for the government’s fight against smuggling and hoarding of agricultural goods.
“The arrest of Taculog is a significant milestone, but we will not stop here. The House remains steadfast in its duty to protect our nation’s food security and the interests of our farmers and consumers,” Romualdez said in a statement on Sunday, November 19.
He described Taculog’s arrest as a ‘vital step in curbing economic sabotage.”
The Speaker also attributed the arrest of Taculog to the proper coordination of the police, courts, and local governments.
Taculog was collared by police operatives last November 15 after an arrest warrant was issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 26 Judge Edilu Hayag.
No bail was recommended.
Maharlika NuMedia gathered that the arrest of Taculog was done after the seizure of some P78.9 million worth of illegally imported agricultural goods consigned to Taculog J International Consumer Goods Trading during separate operations at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from December 2022 to January 2023.
Taculog was arrested for using fictitious import permits and shipping documents.
If found guilty, Taculog faces life imprisonment and a fine twice the fair value of the smuggled agricultural products and the aggregate amount of taxes that he did not pay.
(AI/MNM)
