Owner admits to renting out permits for importation 

An owner of a corporation linked to smuggling on Monday admitted to renting out their permits and corporations to importers, a scheme the Bureau of Customs (BOC) described as “consignees-for-hire.”

“May na ngongomisyon. Ginagamit lang po, nire-rent nga po ‘yung Berches Consumer po,” Jovelyn Daria, owner of the Berches Consumer Goods Trading, said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.

(Someone is earning from commissions. They are just using, renting, the Berches Consumer.)

According to the BOC, the corporation imported 25 containers, but only 19 containers with a value of P59 million were flagged by authorities.

When asked if they knew that they imported such goods, Daria said no. She said she would receive only around P500 per imported container.

“Sa totoo lang po, hindi po (Truthfully, no),” she said.

Brenda De Sagun, a broker of the corporation, said that while Daria is the registered owner, she was not responsible for importing the goods. 

“May kausap kami. Ang sabi po niya sa amin, ang laman is chicken lollipop. Wala po kaming alam na ang laman niya is iba pa,” De Sagun said.

(We talked to someone. He told us the contents were chicken lollipops. We didn’t know that there were other items inside.)

She said they were talking to a certain “Vicente,” but added she didn't know his surname.

De Sagun said they have an ongoing case in their law division.

Committee chairperson Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said it is clear that they are not the real importers but only the “dummy.” 

Pangilinan asked De Sagun and broker Lujin Tenero to explain why they should not be cited in contempt. They were given three days to submit their explanation.

“If the committee is not satisfied, we will cite you in contempt and we will have you detained. We will do the same with Ms. Brenda De Sagun. It's unbelievable that you know the person only as Mr. Vicente,” he said. 

Tenero, meanwhile, admitted that he signed three documents for the importation of three containers. The Department of Agriculture said these contained misdeclared goods amounting to around P68 million.

Senators questioned Tenero about an individual named “Carlos” who contacted him to import goods. He said he did not know Carlos’ surname.

“‘Yun lang po talaga ang pakilala niya sa pier. Araw-araw po ako naghahanap sa kanya (That's how he introduced himself in the pier. I look for him there every day),” he said.

When warned that he was refusing to answer the question, Tenero maintained that the individual had only introduced himself as Carlos.

“Eight years ka nang broker. So eight years na rin ganito ang sistema mo? Na kapag merong papapirma sayo na milyon milyon halaga, kahit hindi mo alam ang apelyido, first name basis lang, pipirmahan mo? That’s what you’re making us believe?” Pangilinan said.

(You've been a broker for eight years.  You mean to say that's how the system works for eight years, that you sign papers worth millions without knowing the full name of the person you're dealing with?)

Meanwhile, the importer named for the transaction was 1024 Consumer Goods Trading, whose owner denied knowledge of the transactions. 1024 owner Merlin Jacinto said the corporation was closed in 2024.

Broker Judy Ann Gumban-Jungco also said that she signed documents for three entries under Queenstar Industry Consumer Trading. She said she made a deal with a certain “Jo Reyes.” 

The owner of Queenstar also denied involvement in the transactions.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said consignees could be liable for allegedly renting out their corporations.

“Given the threshold po nung pinasok nila, which is more than P10 million, eventually this will definitely qualify as a violation of the… Anti-Agriculture Economic Sabotage Act,” he said.

“The provisions are very specific. And even the consignees, even though they will claim that they were just hired or used. That's part of the concept of collusion,” he added.

The committee also issued subpoenas to several individuals for the next hearing. —LDF, GMA Integrated News