MANILA – Two senators sought a probe into the attempted smuggling of rice worth P67.9 million off Zamboanga Sibugay.
Smuggling operations must not go unpunished, according to Paolo Benigno Aquino IV.
“Imbestigahan na para malaman kung sino ang sangkot,” he said. “Posibleng pare-pareho ang mga sindikatong nagpapasok ng droga at iba pang illegal goods sa bansa.”
The Naval Forces Western Mindanao’s Task Force 61 intercepted more or less 27,180 sacks – around 1,359 metric tons – of Vietnam rice on board MV Diamond 8 off Olutanga Island in Zamboanga Sibugay on Saturday.
“We laud the Navy for doing its job of protecting our territorial waters from bad elements and those trying to make quick money out of our countrymen,” said Francis Pangilinan.
All those responsible for the smuggling attempt should be held accountable, according to former representative Erin Tañada, vice president for external affairs of the Liberal Party.
“Baka matulad na naman ito sa isyu ng P6.4 billion na shabu smuggling na hindi napapanagot ang mga pangunahing sangkot,” Tañada said.
Aquino and Pangilinan are members of the Liberal Party.
The intercepted Vietnam rice had an estimated market value of P67,950,000, according to Rear Admiral Rene Medina, Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander.
But Medina said the vessel already unloaded around 7,000 to 8,000 sacks of rice to two other vessels, MV Yssa Maine and MV Yousra. The Navy was still trying to locate these vessels.
Medina said the Navy’s BRP General Mariano Alvarez intercepted the Mongolian-registered MV Diamond 8 at around 10 p.m. after they saw “suspicious movement” by the foreign vessel skippered by Chinese national Lin Yang Yin.
Eleven Bangladeshi and four Chinese crew members of MV Diamond 8 were arrested.
At least 34 undocumented Filipinos, including a minor, and 17 others whose identities were still being established were also found aboard the vessel. (With ABS-CBN News/PN)
