THE Customs bureau recently seized five trucks carrying around 238,000 liters of smuggled fuel in Davao Oriental.
In a joint operation with the Philippine Army, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) found five lorries carrying 238,000 liters of unmarked diesel on Oct. 22. The BoC had yet to disclose the value of the unmarked fuel.
Customs authorities use a unique chemical marker to indicate that imported and locally refined petroleum products have been paid the appropriate taxes. This would help avoid smuggling and misdeclaration of fuel products.
“Based on the intelligence information from the 10th Infantry Division, fuel suspected to be unmarked was being smuggled in Tarragona, Davao Oriental. Several tanker trucks were observed in the area, raising suspicion of smuggling activities,†the agency said.
Authorities received reports that a vessel, identified as Aquaman 3, moved offshore following the transfer of fuel into lorry trucks headed toward Mati in Davao Oriental. The lorries were caught at a checkpoint.
Tests conducted on all fuel samples showed a 0% relative marker level, which meant that the fuel products were transported without the proper marking from Customs authorities.
This is referred to as the “paihi†modus, in which larger tankers off-load fuel to smaller vessels to escape tax payments.
Under its Fuel Marking Program, the bureau has marked around 9.89 billion liters of fuel in the first half, translating to P121.72 billion in duties and taxes, according to its mid-year report. — Beatriz D. Marie Cruz
