MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday confiscated around PHP136.58 million worth of smuggled agricultural products and cigarettes at Subic Port in Zambales.
In an ambush interview, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the intensified collaboration led to the seizure of illegal agricultural products.
“It's a clear sign to the smugglers that the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture are on top of the situation, and we are scanning all the imports and reviewing all the performance of the importers even from their past trends,” he said.
Confiscated were five containers of 86 metric tons (MT) of fresh white onions and 58 MT of fresh carrots misdeclared as frozen fish egg balls from China; as well as two containers of smuggled cigarettes misdeclared as tissue from Taiwan.
Each of the three shipping containers of white onions is valued at over PHP4.3 million while the two containers of carrots amounted to over PHP4 million each, with a total amount pegged at more than PHP21.08 million for all five containers.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Bureau of Customs (BOC), inspect smuggled cigarettes misdeclared as tissue at the Subic Port in Zambales on Wednesday (Sept. 11, 2024). (PNA photo by Stephanie Sevillano)
The value of smuggled cigarettes from Taiwan, meanwhile, is pegged at PHP115.5 million.
Tiu Laurel warned the two consignees of the smuggled and misdeclared products should be blacklisted by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
“They're clearly illegal smugglers and they're taking advantage of smuggling; they're doing smuggling to basically makaiwas ang (to avoid the) taxes as far as tobacco is concerned. Sa (For) onions and carrots ay maka-take advantage sa presyo sa Pilipinas (they can take advantage of the pricing in the Philippines) versus other countries which affect our farmers,” he said.
BPI Director Glenn Panganiban, meanwhile, underscored the need to confiscate smuggled products as they pose health risks to the public.
“For our safety, food safety, hindi tayo sigurado kung anong pinanggalingan ito, ano yung proseso na kanyang pinagdaanan. So, doon pa lang, medyo risky na siya, high risk na siya (we’re not sure on its origin, what kind of process it has gone through. So, from there that’s somehow risky, it’s high risk),” he said in a separate ambush interview.
According to the BOC, the shipments lack a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certificate of product registration for the frozen fish egg balls; as well as the lack of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for fresh carrots; and non-declaration of fresh carrots and white onions.
Earlier, the DA and BOC seized more than 300 tons of smuggled vegetables in makeshift cold storage facilities in Navotas, which eventually tested positive for residues of pesticides, heavy metals, and other microbial contaminants like E. coli, which make the products unsafe for human consumption.
The smuggled cigarettes, likewise, lack valid registration and tax exemption certificates, import commodity clearance, as well as an expired registration from the BOC since March 20, 2020.
Consignees may face charges for violations of Republic Act No.18063 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA); Guidelines on the Importation of Plants, Planting Materials and Plant Products for Commercial Purposes; Revised Guidelines on the Unified Licensing Requirements and Procedures of the Food and Drug Administration Repealing Administrative Order No. 2016-0003; and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) Memorandum Circular No. 03 series of 2004, among others. (PNA)
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