CEBU CITY -- Two Chinese nationals asked the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to return the US$20,000 taken from them last week, because under the law, each passenger is allowed to carry US$10,000 without having to declare it.
Port of Cebu District Collector Ronnie Silvestre refused their request.
The BOC Enforcement and Security Service headed by Capt. Jerry Arrizabal has recommended the issuance of a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) against the money, he said.
Silvestre said he referred the matter to BOC Legal Officer James Edward Dybuco, considering that Tek Man Wong and Xiuyu Tanare filed separate customs declarations. Neither declared the dollar stash.
Wong and Tanare, accompanied by a Cebu-based Chinese businessman, said they will return to the BOC Port of Cebu once Dybuco will submit his legal opinion.
The two Chinese nationals were later released after a lab test in Manila showed it was not ephedrine the police confiscated from them.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza urged the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to strictly monitor the entry of foreigners, especially in the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
Considering that Lapu-Lapu City, through the MCIA, is an entry point for local and foreign tourists, Radaza said monitoring them is necessary, as some foreigners are sometimes involved in illegal activities.
Customs examiners Ervin Ho and Jerry Antopina apprehended Tanare at the Mactan aiport, after she was caught with an undeclared US$20,000 and three kilos of powder in sachets.
On-the-spot screening by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) showed the powder was ephedrine.
PDEA laboratory personnel conducted on-the-spot screenings twice at the customs office at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and said the powder contained ephedrine.
The screenings were taped by crews from two TV networks.
A PDEA official who requested anonymity, because he is not authorized to speak of the case, clarified that contrary to reports, ephedrine has been classified as a dangerous drugs under the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, as amended.
Under the law, life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million awaits anyone who sells, dispenses, delivers or transports drugs or controlled precursors and chemicals.
On the other hand, Silvestre said failing to declare a large amount of money is a criminal act punishable under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
A Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official previously explained passengers arriving in or leaving the Philippines must declare if the amounts they’re carrying exceed US$10,000. Copies of the declaration go to the airport authorities and the council against money laundering.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Alien Control Officer Casimiro Madarang III confirmed that Wong, 54, has flown from Hong Kong to Cebu, or the other way around, 21 times in the last 14 months.
His first arrival in Cebu was at 4:25 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2010 and he left for Hong Kong at 9:45 p.m. on the same day. Since then, he was in and out of Cebu.
Madarang said they cannot prevent Wong and Tanare from entering Cebu because they have no derogatory record and they are not in the blacklist nor in the hold-departure order.
Tanare, 27, who is five months pregnant, has been visiting Cebu eight times and as per records, he always arrived in Cebu with Wong.
A customs official at Mactan airport said they placed Wong under surveillance because of his frequent travels to Cebu where he sometimes stayed for less than a day.
“We became curious because Wong reportedly has no business in Cebu but he has links with influential businessmen and politicians,” said the airport customs official.
The official said that the time Tanare was apprehended, Wong was already near the exit door and only went to the customs office to rescue his companion.
The same official said that Wong and Tanare were picked up by a local businessman with dealings at the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (EOB/JKV/Sun.Star Cebu)
