VOL. XXX NO. 131 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 THURSDAY : JUNE 23, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph
PPA junks Lina deal
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CUSTOMS LOSES P300M EACH DAY Duterte: Smuggling in all 17 ports rampant
By Christine F. Herrera and John Paolo Bencito
PRESIDENT-ELECT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said rampant smuggling from all 17 ports nationwide is costing the country P300 million daily in foregone revenues, prompting him to order “zero tolerance” on corruption at the graft-ridden Bureau of Customs.
“In the Bureau of Customs, we are losing an estimated P300 million daily [due to smuggling] in all ports all over the country,” Duterte told the business forum in Davao City. Duterte did not say where he obtained his figures, which are actually lower than the official government estimate of P200 billion a
year or P547 million a day lost to smuggling. “The corruption must stop. It makes me sick. I have zero tolerance on graft and criminality. I will kill all of you, smugglers and corrupt officials,” Duterte warned. “That’s why [incoming Customs chief] Capt. Nicanor Faeldon is here. Smuggling and corruption
have to stop. If only we could collect the P300 million daily that is lost [from smuggling], we wouldn’t have a problem,” Duterte said. Official government figures and statistics from the United Nations Commission on Trade or UN ComTrade culled by the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura Next page
Photo taken on June 21, 2016 and released by the Davao City Mayor’s Office on June 22 shows President-elect Rodrigo Duterte addressing businessmen during a summit in Davao City in the presence of members of his Cabinet. Duterte will begin his six-year term on June 30. AFP
Finance chief richest in Cabinet
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Comelec dared: Release ruling on SOCE By Maricel V. Cruz INCOMING Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday urged the Commission on Elections to make public a copy of its resolution extending the deadline for candidates and political parties to file their campaign expenditure reports, insisting that the move was illegal.
Alvarez, a lawyer, said the failure of the Comelec to release a copy of the resolution would damage the image of the institution. “Right or wrong, there seems to be a public perception that the release of the resolution is being held in abeyance until after the sought-for 14-day extension lapses so it may no longer be questioned before the Supreme Court,”
Alvarez said. “If this is true, the Comelec may end up as a damaged institution as it will be a party to two very serious violations— extending the non-extendible deadline in the filing of SOCEs [statement of contributions and expenditures] and depriving the people of the right to question that extension before the Supreme Court,” he said. Next page