BOC source says oil smuggling on the decline

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MANILA, Philippines –A source from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) disclosed that oil smuggling is declining due to the rising retail sale of fuel. The official made the observation as he referenced a report from an oil industry executive.

“What the oil industry is saying is that they see their sales have been increasing, which is attributed to a decline in smuggling,” The BOC official said in a report recently carried by The Philippine Star.

According to the BOC source, the oil executive told bureau officials about the tapering down of smuggling cases and the rise in fuel sales at a closed-door meeting held last Tuesday at the Port of Batangas 57th anniversary.

The BOC official opted to withhold the identity of the oil industry executive.
However, the statement of the BOC is contradictory to an earlier statement made by Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, who said that oil smuggling remains rampant, especially in the areas of Misamis Oriental, Subic in Zambales, as well as in Davao, Zamboanga and Bataan.

As a precautionary measure, the BOC is stepping up their monitoring of inbound oil shipments.