THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it canceled the rice import clearance for MV Tay Son two days before the vessel arrived in the Philippines, rejecting allegations of wrongdoing over the shipment.
Last month, the Bureau of Customs (BOC), working with the DA and the Philippine Navy, apprehended MV Tay Son 2 and another vessel, MV Lucky Star, over questionable documentation and canceled sanitary permits.Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified on Wednesday that his office ordered the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to cancel the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) while the vessel was already en route.“The records will show... it was the DA, through my office, that stopped the shipment,” he said.The DA said the cancellation was requested by importer Planters Product Inc. (PPI) after learning that the cargo contained 5-percent broken rice instead of the approved 25 percent. PPI added that the contract had expired, with delivery originally scheduled for July, when rice supplies were tight.The import application covered 12,480 metric tons (MT) of rice from Vietnam, equivalent to about a third of the Philippines’ daily rice requirement of 37,000 MT.The shipment was scheduled to arrive in July rather than September, which was the start of the wet season harvest. The DA said its arrival during harvest could put downward pressure on palay prices.MV Tay Son 2 arrived at the Port of Davao on Sept. 14, but its captain refused a BPI inspection, according to the DA. It departed on Sept. 17 while the BOC was reviewing its cargo, prompting Tiu Laurel to issue a hold order and alert Customs.The Navy intercepted the vessel off Sarangani and escorted it to General Santos. It was later ordered back to Davao, where it is currently docked pending a Customs decision on the shipment.The DA said rice cannot be unloaded without a valid SPSIC. Under its rules, agricultural shipments without valid import permits may be seized and destroyed, returned to their country of origin or shipped to a third country.The BPI recommended returning the rice to Vietnam, subject to Customs action. The BOC may instead seize the cargo and impose penalties, depending on its findings and applicable rules.
