THE Bureau of Customs under Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero continue to deny unscrupulous elements access to seized and forfeited goods with the destruction of more than P763 million worth of confiscated merchandize in the first three months of 2021.
Based on the first quarter report he received from various ports, Guerrero noted the agency destroyed P364 million worth of counterfeit (fake) cigarettes, not including the P197.49 million worth of seized cigarettes and agricultural products.
Third in the list are unsafe, hazardous food, raw products and poultry products worth more than P111 million.
On the other hand, the destruction of smuggled vehicles worth some P51.276 million was one of the highlights of the bureau’s 119TH anniversary celebration last February 9, 2021, witnessed by Department of Finance secretary, Carlos Dominguez.
Also condemned, according to the report received by Guerrero, were garments, assorted goods, and general merchandise valued at P31 million and assorted mechanical, chemical, scrap metal and electrical goods with an aggregate value of P8.112 million.
As a matter of policy to promote transparency and integrity in the service and prevent seized and forfeited merchandize from being diverted back to the local market, Guerrero has mandated that all seized goods should be condemned or donated to other government agencies as soon as all legal impediments have been settled.
In 2020, the BOC scored another milestone in its anti-smuggling campaign, after seizing nearly P10 billion worth of smuggled goods, majority of them cigarettes and cigarette-making machines.
And since the start of the year, the BOC has already seized more than P600 million worth of smuggled goods, not including illegal drugs.
Twice this year, the BOC has also donated thousands of seized electrical gadgets to the Department of Education’s ‘distance learning program.’
P38 million cigarettes at Subic; P7 million ‘ukay-ukay’ in Iloilo
At the Port of Subic, district collector Atty. Maritess Martin, in a report to Guerrero, said she has ordered the confiscation of “misdeclared fake cigarettes” from China worth P38.1 million.
Martin said the suspects behind the smuggling attempt tried to evade detection by declaring the cargo as “assorted textile.”
Unknown to the suspects, who was not named in the report, Martin had already received information that the shipment would mostly likely consist of cigarettes, prompting her to issue a ‘pre-lodgment control order’ in order to subject the shipment to 100 percent physical inspection.
She added that instead of textile as declared, they discovered boxes of ‘Fortune’ and ‘Mighty’ cigarettes, prompting her to immediately issue a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) last April 23, 2021.
Over at the Port of Iloilo, district collector Ciriaco Ugay, informed the customs chief their confiscation of P7 million worth of used clothing (“ukay-ukay”) at a warehouse in Bgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City.
Guerrero had earlier signed a ‘Letter of Authority’ (LOA) to the port to conduct the inspection that was done last May 3, 2021.
Ugay said the inspecting team was composed of personnel from the local customs intelligence unit (CIIS) under IO1 Lot K. Abordo, the local customs police (ESS) and personnel from the customs border protection (CBP), District 6 Team, the Philippine National Police and Bgy. Villamonte officials.
Ugay added that inventory of the seized goods and further investigation of the incident is being done together with Collector Renevic Soliman of the Sub-Port of Pulupandan and Customs Examiners Jessie Nallos and Samson Alonsagay II.
RA 4653 “prohibits the commercial importation of used clothing and rags to safeguard the health of the people and maintain the dignity of the nation.”