THE Bureau of Customs (BOC), in an effort to intensify its efforts to curb fuel smuggling, intercepted on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, an unmarked fuel found to have a deficient fuel marker level indicating the lack of the necessary duties and taxes.

The operation was done in the early morning of Tuesday after the Field Office in the Port of Batangas received information from the agency’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) about the possible presence of unmarked fuel in a crude oil tanker.

Assisted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Sub Station Mabini, BOC operatives were able to locate the subject vessel in Brgy. Mainaga in Mabini, Batangas.

The team proceeded to an unknown private port where they found two lorries parking and loading fuel into a vessel that was more or less 30 meters away from the shoreline. An initial test was done on one of the lorries and resulted in a .02 percentage fuel marker, an inert chemical added to fuel after the payment of duties and taxes.

The deficient fuel marker level confirmed that the oil did not pass through the proper procedure of importation.

Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz lauded his team and the coordination with the PCG, although he lamented that fuel smuggling is another problem that continues to hound the country.

“The reports that our intelligence officers generate show the magnitude of how these smuggling operations affect our markets and our people. They are not slowing down, but neither are we. This is a long and uphill battle, but the agency and our people are well-prepared to finish these activities off,” he said.

CIIS Director Jeoffrey Tacio gave more light on what happened during the operation.

“The agency is no stranger to any attempts by big or small companies to bring in smuggled fuel into the country. Our campaign against the smuggling of fuel has been ongoing despite the spotlight being shown more on what we do regarding agricultural smuggling,” he said.

The official shared that the Customs’ Field Station in Batangas reported that the team’s operatives approached the representative inside a parked white, tinted, and bulletproofed Toyota Fortuner after the vessel’s captain pointed to the car.

However, the representative did not respond, so the team had to call for backup, composed of officers from the PCG and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Upon the arrival of SGS, field testing at the lorries and vessel was immediately conducted on board after the captain was shown a copy of the Mission Order (MO) signed by Batangas Port District Collector Ma. Rhea Gregorio on the same day the operation was done.

While one of the lorries already confirmed the absence of the required fuel marker, the results on the other samples taken from the vessel are still pending.

The fuel shipment was put on hold by Customs authorities a day after the BOC and PCG Palawan intercepted 847,395 liters of diesel fuel from a vessel anchored one nautical mile west off Barangay Caruray in San Vicente, Palawan.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy gave a stern warning to anyone attempting to bend and break the country’s laws to suit their agendas.

“It is important that all concerned government offices continue to work together to better protect our borders because smuggling kills our markets and slows down our chances to build back better.

We have an all-hands-on-deck approach when it comes to ensuring our markets remain free from smuggled products, including petroleum. That much we can promise our kababayans,” he added.