Phoenix Petroleum smuggling case

BOC files P5-B smuggling complaint vs. Phoenix Petroleum SOPHIA DEDACE, GMA News 05/05/2011 | 11:17 AM  The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday filed a P5-billion smuggling complaint against Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc., which is listed among the country's top 250 corporations. The BOC filed the complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ), where a panel of prosecutors will conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether there is probable cause to file a case against the respondents before the appropriate court. In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Thursday, Phoenix spokesman Raymond Zorilla was surprised at the charges lodged against their company, saying they have yet to receive a copy of the complaint. "We were never investigated (before). We're a legitimate company and our records are open to the public, being a publicly listed company," he said. He likewise said that they will be "fighting out" the matter with the BOC. "We will fight this out, we will defend our integrity," he said. Phoenix in 2009 ranked 211 among the country's top firms. According to its company website, Phoenix was incorporated in May 2002 in Davao City as a family business under the name Davao Oil Terminal Services Corporation (DOTSCO). The company started operating in its current form in January 2004 when it distributed petroleum products to various commercial entities in Mindanao. In August 2006, the company was officially renamed Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. - with Kim Tan, VVP, GMA News