In the investigation being conducted by the house of representatives, some officials at the customs bureau had adopted procedures that facilitates the release of imported goods. Such procedure had been in place for a long time but was not known to the public except importers who avail of the process. It was only during the congressional investigation that the procedure was uncovered when some importers wailed over the unjust treatment.
It was revealed in the congressional investigation that what was supposed to be a fast process had resulted in the stalled goods notwithstanding the payment of huge grease money reaching millions of pesos. The issue was rooted on the alleged unfair treatment as other importers were gaining advantage as their goods are released with facility. The paid process would appear useless to those whose goods are not released as such delay would result to undue losses.
In the course of the investigation, officers of the customs bureau were keeping the truth that there is a system dubbed as “tara” in filipino jargon. It actually is an anomalous procedure that required importers to pay a huge amount, reportedly in the millions of pesos, just for their imported items to be released through what were labelled as fast lanes where imported goods could pass without questions.
Later, it would be uncovered that the fast lanes are color-coded depending on the amount of “tara” an importer could afford. The fastest among the lanes reportedly bypasses all check stations and the imported goods are released without question. The imported goods are released without the usual documents and physical inspection.
The huge amounts being paid under what was called the “tara” system do not go into the official collection of the government as the same are partaken by the corrupt women and men in the customs bureau. What came as the biggest revelation from the investigation is the allegation that the system is controlled by the city chief executive of Davao and his cohorts, chiefly the former president’s family. The collections are taken from the importers who are too willing to shell out huge amount just to ensure that their goods are released by the “tara” operators at the customs bureau.
What is revolting is the fact that poor taxpayers are easily penalized for non-payment of the correct taxes while those big businessmen could easily evade the payment of the taxes for their imported goods as long as grease money are paid to the corrupt officials running the “tara” system. Indeed, huge losses of collectible customs’ duties are being pocketed by some corrupt officials through the fast lanes.
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