In an interview with reporters Monday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents have found out that Tan’s real name is Davidson Bangayan.
“The initial results of the verification and investigation of the NBI is that this David Tan actually exists,” De Lima said, adding the NBI believes that Tan and Bangayan are “one and the same person.”
She said the NBI already knows the home and business addresses of Bangayan, who is believed to be a “one-man cartel.”
The Department of Justice and the NBI have re-opened their investigation on rice smuggling after Sen. Ralph Recto expressed disappointment over their alleged failure to act on his Senate panel’s recommendation months ago. The panel has recommended to prosecute one David Tan in connection with rice smuggling activities in the country.
The DOJ and the NBI “temporarily closed” their probe earlier because the NBI was unable to find out the identity and whereabouts of Tan and fellow suspect, Danny Ngo, despite “diligent efforts.”
Some 48 million kilos of smuggled rice worth about P725M are in 1,937 container vans intercepted at various ports nationwide from October to December last year, according to the Bureau of Customs.
The Federation of Philippine Industries had earlier said a Davao City-based trader is suspected to be involved in large-scale rice smuggling.
Last week, activist lawyer Argee Guevarra claimed in a statement that the surfacing of Tan’s name in rice smuggling activities was part of a grand design to divert the public’s attention from the alleged involvement of the National Food Authority (NFA) in rice smuggling.
Guevarra had filed plunder charges against Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and NFA Administrator Orlan Calayag, following his revelation last year about alleged irregularities in the NFA’s government-to-government importation of rice from Vietnam, which he said was overpriced by more than P450 million. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News
