Woman fighter still taxed for championship belt

Screengrab from Jujeath Nagaowa’s Facebook account

Adding insult to injury, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has claimed that mixed martial arts fighter Jujeath Nagaowa was assessed a lower tax for the Women’s International Boxing Association (Wiba) championship belt that she won on July 2 in Macau.

A statement from the office of BOC district collector Ed Macabeo pointed out that had the 27-year-old Nagaowa herself personally claimed the Wiba light flyweight champion’s belt she would have been automatically exempted from customs duties.

Attaching documents supposedly of the transaction, Macabeo said that Nagaowa was only charged P3,630 for the belt as shown by an official receipt.

But the Benguet-based Nagaowa told the Inquirer that the BOC never issued an official receipt, only a copy of the computation of customs duties. “That was the only document the BOC gave us,” she said, referring to the document she posted on her Facebook account which placed the total importation tax due at P5,819.13.

No official receipt

Based on the BOC computation she posted, the belt she won when she beat China’s Luo Yu Jie in Macau had a value of P20,147.77. The customs duty was computed at P3,027.13 while the value-added tax was P2,782.

“I would have posted the official receipt if we were given one by the customs people,” she said.

A computation released on Friday by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport district collector to the Inquirer stated that the duties and taxes amounted to only P4,467 and there was a “readjustment” which resulted in the actual payment of just P3,630.

The customs duty based on the document was placed at P2,318 while the value-added tax was at P2,134 and the Bureau of Internal Revenue stamp tax was P15. The importation tax due was purportedly computed from a belt cost they put at US$300 or P15,452.90.

Not consignee

Macabeo further pointed out that Nagaowa was “not the consignee” and identified the importer of the parcel from Macau as Brico Santig, a boxing promoter in Baguio City.

“The tentative computation showed on her Facebook account is different from the tentative computation used in settling the duties and taxes. Ms. Nagaowa posted on her Facebook page a tentative computation amounting to P5,819 while the one attached to the importation records is for P4,467,” it said.

Macabeo said Santig’s representative, Jayvee Alipio, was asked to apply for a tax exemption, but that he “opted to pay” the duties and taxes after a readjustment to reflect a lower amount.”

“Ms. Nagaowa has claimed that she was forced to pay or risk losing the only evidence of her victory. The importation records do not show her name but of her colleagues Messrs Santig and Alipio,” he pointed out.

Macabeo said that had Nagoawa herself claimed the belt it would have cleared customs without duties. He said the bureau had “the highest regard for our countrymen who bring glory and honor to the motherland.”

“We would really appreciate it if we could get a refund. For us at the gym, that amount paid to get my belt represents three days of our allowance,” Nagaowa said.

The Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines exempts payment of duties on “medals, badges, cups and other small articles bestowed as trophies or prizes, or those received or accepted as honorary distinction.” Jeannette I. Andrade