NINE years ago, mv Great Faith disappeared at the Port of Cebu with P40,000 sacks of smuggled rice, an incident that turned into a political circus, attracting occasional intervention by religious leaders.
The House of Representatives spent money for congressional hearings in Cebu. Several officials and personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force, and businessmen were summoned to testify. But the mastermind of Cebu’s biggest smuggling scandal remained unidentified.
Former representative Antonio Cuenco, who is now an official of a United Nations division based in Indonesia, has lost interest in the case and said he is now leaving the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
MV Great Faith arrived in Cebu from Vietnam in September 2001 and was apprehended by then acting district collector Santiago Maravillas, who issued a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD).
Legal division chief Zosimo Cuasay conducted forfeiture proceedings, where Zamboanga city-based Sampaguita Shipping Lines appeared as the vessel’s claimant, Searabbit Enterprises as shipper and CVC Trading as consignee.
A motion to quash/dismiss the WSD was filed by Sampaguita, Searabbit and CVC on Sept. 21, 2001 but was denied by Cuasay in his Sept. 24, 2001 order.
Then Port of Cebu district collector Roberto Sacramento reported back to work on Oct. 2, 2001 and ordered the release of the vessel and the rice, giving credence to the claim of Searabbit and CVC that the rice was acquired from the National Food Authority (NFA) in Digos City as per official receipt No. 0084 and NFA shipping permit No. M6DH-001S2K.
But then customs commissioner Titus Villanueva reversed Sacramento’s decision and ordered the forfeiture of the rice and ship, after the NFA administrator certified that the documents were fake.
On leave
Sacramento, who is the present district collector in Cagayan de oro City, received Villanueva’s forfeiture order on Dec. 18, 2001. But he went on leave again on Dec. 20, 2001 and went to the US, designating Maravillas as acting district collector.
Mv Great Faith escaped on Dec. 25, 2001 while being anchored off Mandaue City.
The entire customs police force under Capt. Ronald Pasion and the entire Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) under Alex Atienza were relieved by Villanueva, as recommended by Maravillas.
The House committee on good government, then headed by representative Elias Lopez, conducted a congressional inquiry in February and March 2002, and found out that mv Great Faith was freed in conspiracy with officials of the Bureau of Customs and other agencies.
Conspiracy
Lopez criticized the DOJ fact-finding task force, as it focused only on persons responsible for the escape of the vessel, but did not check on the grand conspiracy angle involving high-ranking government officials, shipping owner and alleged smugglers.
Several people, including Maravillas, were recommended by the DOJ task force to be charged in court.
But in a letter dated March 4, 2002, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal urged Malacañang to spare Maravillas because the people knew he apprehended the vessel and he deserves a just and fair hearing.
Maravillas, who is now a councilor of Escalanate City, said he wants the case reopened because he wants to know the truth.
“I want to know the result of the congressional inquiry. I want to know who were charged in court. I am ready to help with whatever I can if only to arrive at the truth,” Maravillas said.
Lawyer Glenn Cabañez, the director of Maritime Industry Authority 7 when mv Great Faith escaped, said he never heard of a vessel with the same features of those of mv Great Faith being registered under another name
