A militant party-list lawmaker yesterday vehemently rejected the proposal to reassess the rice importation by private sector to make an accurate payment of customs duties to the government.

Instead, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said the Bureau of Customs (BOC), especially port collectors should confiscate the undervalued imported rice so that the government can recover from the lost revenues.

Mariano made his statement after receiving reliable information about order to reassess the imported rice from Pakistan and Vietnam whose price is pegged at $110 per metric ton when it is being sold in the world market at the prevailing price of $380 per metric ton.

Earlier, Mariano asked the House committee on agriculture and food to conduct a full-blown congressional investigation into the massive rice importation, irregularities and other anomalies in the trade which purportedly defrauds the government through the BOC of P1 billion in revenues by lowering the price of rice importation.

Mariano lamented that the National Food Authority (NFA) has been paying 50% of the tariff using its bank loans every time it imports rice.

“Kapag ang NFA ang nag-iimport, nagbabayad iyan ng 50 percent tariff, walang misdeclaration diyan. Pero kapag ang private sector, 40 percent na lang ang binabayaran eh, at hindi doon sa tunay na halaga ng pagkakabili nila ng bigas,” said Mariano.

Earlier, House Deputy Minority Leader and Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay disclosed that some 186,000 metric tons (MT) or 3,600,000 sacks of rice that have been imported from different countries like Pakistan and Vietnam recently were allegedly undervalued.