According to a BOC intelligence report that was shown to GMA News, Bangayan smuggled about 80 million sacks or four million metric tons (MT) of rice–with an estimated value of P56 billion–into the country in 2009.
However, a source from the BOC said some of the money from the smuggled rice was divided among high-ranking officials of the government.
Another bureau report shown to GMA News names those who were allegedly involved in Bangayan’s rice smuggling.
Some of the names that appeared in the BOC report were of lawmakers and high-ranking officials of Malacañang and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), GMA News’ “24 Oras” said in an exclusive report aired on Friday.
There were also top officials of the BOC as well as some leaders of a religious group allegedly involved rice smuggling anomaly, the report added.
GMA News is still trying to reach Bangayan as of posting time.
However, Bangayan has vehemently and repeatedly denied involvement in rice smuggling. He has also denied that he is David Tan.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV confirmed that there were indeed high -ranking government officials named in a report submitted to the Office of the President by BOC Intelligence Group deputy commissioner Jessie Dellosa.
Trillanes refused to divulge the names of the government officials mentioned in the BOC report but he said one of them was a senator.
“May mga kaibigan daw na smuggler ito (senator)…let’s say sindikato,” Trillanes said.
One of the officials whose name repeatedly appeared in various BOC intelligence reports on rice smuggling was BOC Enforcement Group deputy commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.
Nepomuceno is a close friend of Bangayan, “24 Oras” reported.
“Never ko naman itinanggi na kaibigan ko (si Bangayan). Marami naman tayong mga kaibigan e… Kaya lang, ang importante, tingnan natin kung kami ba ay ginagawa namin ang trabaho namin. Unang linggo ko pa nga lang dito sa bureau ang una kong hinuli mga bigas. ‘Yun yung sinasabing bigas ni Mr. Bangayan,” Nepomuceno said.
He said that, in December, the enforcement group seized around one thousand container vans of rice that Bangayan allegedly smuggled into the country.
Nepomuceno alleged that he is just a target of a demolition job in the BOC because of his aggressive stance against smuggling.
“Ang importante, kaibigan man namin o kamag-anak, basta gumawa ng mali, huhulihin namin yan. Makakaasa ang bansa, wala kaming sinisino dito,” Nepomuceno said.
Reports of the alleged rift or “turf war” between Nepomuceno and Dellosa have surfaced especially after two Customs officials from Dellosa’s Intelligence group were charged with extortion before the Office of the Ombudsman.
On Friday, complainant Lamberto Lopez went to the Ombudsman to withdraw his case against the two Customs officials.
Lopez said he was just forced by a former colleague, Eugenio “Genny” Agco to file the case. Agco is a subordinate of Jeff Patawaran who is known in the BOC as a consultant of Nepomuceno.
“Ano daw, para mag-takeover sila (sa BOC), ganun lang…para sila na ang mag-ano sa Customs,” Lopez said.
Nepomuceno admitted that Patawaran is his consultant but that Patawaran had nothing to do with the charges against Dellosa’s men.
“Hindi ako naniniwalang gagawin ni Mr. Patawaran yun. Napakahirap magbintang sa kapwa,” Nepomuceno said. — Elizabeth Marcelo/JDS, GMA News
