[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Cola company sued for ‘outright smuggling’’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Saturday, May 13, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
BACOLOD City – A group monitoring sugar smuggling sued beverage giant Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Inc. for the alleged “outright smuggling” of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) into the country.
The Sugar Anti-Smuggling Organization (SASO) of the Sugar Alliance of the Philippines filed a complaint before the Bureau of Customs.
SASO deputy chief Edgardo Lumanog Jr. accused Coca-cola of withdrawing several shipments of the HFCS from the People’s Republic of China without the required clearance from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
Under the SRA’s Sugar Order No. 3, only HFCS with clearance for release — “B” for domestic market and “D” for world market — may be withdrawn by the importer or consignee from the Customs or from its customs-bonded warehouse.
There were eight instances where HFCS arrived at the Port of Manila from March 10 to 15, Lumanog said, citing Customs declarations.
Coca-Cola withdrew five shipments illegally on March 10, he claimed.
“It was explained to me by counsel that Coke’s continued importation of HFCS without SRA clearance constitutes ‘outright smuggling’ under Section 102 (ff) and Section 1401 of RA (Republic Act) 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” Lumanog said in an email sent to the press on Friday.
The following were named respondents in the complaint the SASO filed at the Customs bureau:
* Chief Executive Officer Washington Fabricio Ponce Garcia
* directors Francisco Colunga, Jerri Liu, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Sunil Ghatnekar, Johan Willem Maarten Jansen, and Macaria Saldua
* Chief Finance Officer Sunil Gupta
“Since the appraised value of the HFCS unlawfully imported amounts to around P70,162,244, the respondents should be held criminally liable, in which the penalty carries 12–20 years imprisonment and a fine of P15 [million] to P50 million,” Lumanog said.
The Customs received the complaint on May 11.
SASO and SRA officials were deputized by the bureau in the fight against sugar smuggling.
They shall “act as industry-expert advisers of the Office of the Commissioner on matters that will help curtail sugar smuggling,” stated a memorandum order then commissioner Alberto Lina signed in 2015.
Coca-Cola has been highly criticized for using HFCS, an imported sweetener, in its products instead of locally produced sugar.
Stakeholders claimed the use and importation of HFCS undermines the local sugar industry, including planters and farmworkers./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full][av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’Durogista gintiro sang Pulis’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
Ni Ime Sornito
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
INSERT DATE HERE!
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Syudad sang ILOILO – Patay ang isa sa duha ka high-value targets sa pagduso sang ilegal nga droga kag subjects sa warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder sa operasyon sang Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 6 sa Barangay Ticud, La Paz alas-3:34 sang hapon kahapon. Gindeklarar nga dead-on-arrival sa West Visayas Medical Center si Aslani Ansari alyas Boy nga nakaagom sang pilas sa lawas. Na-aresto naman ang upod sini nga si Alex Mapandi alyas Angari/Agie, 31. Sandig sa report halin kay Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, hepe sang CIDG-6, upod ang mga katapo sang Special Weapons And Tactics kag Iloilo City Police Office, plano nila nga i-serbe ang warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder kontra sa duha sang nagluntad ang insidente. Ginapasuni nga nagbatu si Ansari paagi sa pagtiro sa isa sa mga katapo sang CIDG-6 rason nga na-puersa ang mga otoridad nga magbalos kabangdanan sang iya kamatayon. Narekober naman sa paghinakop sang duha ang duha ka mga pusil kag pila ka plastic sachets sang ginapatihan shabu. Sa interbyu naman sang mga katapo sang media kay Senior Insp. Rey Sumagaysay, hepe sang La Paz PNP, sanday Ansari kag Mapandi ang ginatudlo mga suspek sa pagpatay paagi sa pagsunog sa isa ka Muslim nga nasapwan nga naputos sa plastic sa circumferential road sa Brgy. Balabago, Jaro sang tinalikdan nga bulan./H
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’Durogista gintiro sang Pulis’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
Ni Ime Sornito
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
INSERT DATE HERE!
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Syudad sang ILOILO – Patay ang isa sa duha ka high-value targets sa pagduso sang ilegal nga droga kag subjects sa warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder sa operasyon sang Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 6 sa Barangay Ticud, La Paz alas-3:34 sang hapon kahapon. Gindeklarar nga dead-on-arrival sa West Visayas Medical Center si Aslani Ansari alyas Boy nga nakaagom sang pilas sa lawas. Na-aresto naman ang upod sini nga si Alex Mapandi alyas Angari/Agie, 31. Sandig sa report halin kay Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, hepe sang CIDG-6, upod ang mga katapo sang Special Weapons And Tactics kag Iloilo City Police Office, plano nila nga i-serbe ang warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder kontra sa duha sang nagluntad ang insidente. Ginapasuni nga nagbatu si Ansari paagi sa pagtiro sa isa sa mga katapo sang CIDG-6 rason nga na-puersa ang mga otoridad nga magbalos kabangdanan sang iya kamatayon. Narekober naman sa paghinakop sang duha ang duha ka mga pusil kag pila ka plastic sachets sang ginapatihan shabu. Sa interbyu naman sang mga katapo sang media kay Senior Insp. Rey Sumagaysay, hepe sang La Paz PNP, sanday Ansari kag Mapandi ang ginatudlo mga suspek sa pagpatay paagi sa pagsunog sa isa ka Muslim nga nasapwan nga naputos sa plastic sa circumferential road sa Brgy. Balabago, Jaro sang tinalikdan nga bulan./H
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
