Isidro Lapeña, Bureau of Customs commissioner, holds a press conference to discuss that 105 containers containing Chinese ceramic tiles and other items. PHOTO BY JUN VENERACION

A total of 105 containers of ceramic tiles from China and other imported products mysteriously vanished at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) despite an “alert order” preventing the release of the items.

Customs officials found out about this on Monday, March 19. An active search was immediately launched.

On Thursday, BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña announced in a hastily called press conference that out of 105 containers, 85 had already been recovered in Meycauayan, Bulacan.

“Hopefully we’ll find more,” Lapeña said.

Prior to the recovery in Bulacan, two containers of ceramic tiles were intercepted at the gate 3 of the Port of Manila on Monday, the day the illegal activity was discovered.

The shipments are part of a standing alert order issued by Lapeña when these were slipped past the Port of Manila.

Shipments can only be released once the order is lifted by the official who made the issuance.

In this case, Lapeña never authorized the release of the containers, which were also suspected to contain either misdeclared or undervalued goods.

Lapeña ordered the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) to conduct a thorough probe.

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“We have identified several people, and we will be filing charges,” Lapeña said.

A source privy to the ongoing investigation told GMA News Lapeña was fuming mad upon learning of the incident, vowing that “heads will roll.”

Lapeña has revoked the accreditation of several importers and brokers involved in the controversy. Possible legal actions are also being studied.

The BOC also trained its gun on the Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), the port operator that handled the shipments.

Lapeña took ATI to task for releasing the containers without proper clearance from his office and were even classified under alert orders.

Waiving a sample document, Lapeña reiterated that an alerted shipment could only be released by the port operator, in this case the ATI, upon the receipt of an order, in black in white, lifting the alert.

“The BOC will also investigate ATI personnel involved in the release of alerted shipments,” Lapeña said.

In a statement, ATI said they “can only process containers for release from the port after the Bureau of Customs issues the release instruction through the OLRS (Online Release System).”

“Issuance of the OLRS instruction means that all duties and taxes have been paid and that there are no holds or special stops on the container. ATI does not have any control over BOC's e2m alert system,” ATI added.

But Lapeña fired back, saying “it is just their (ATI) alibi.”

The controversy in the “illegal withdrawal” of containers came at a time when the BOC is still reeling from the biggest scandal that rocked the agency—the smuggling of P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China in 2017, which led to the resignation of Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon.

In 2011, close to 2,000 containers had also disappeared enroute to the Port of Batangas, depriving the government of taxes and duties. — BAP, GMA News