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The Bureau of Customs discovered 26 abandoned containers of fresh red onions from China at the Manila International Container Port, with an estimated market value of P86.684 million
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BOC said the abandoned containers have unpaid duties and taxes of approximately P9.07 million out of a total tax liability of P9.65 million
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The shipment covered 72,215 bags with a manifested gross weight of 650,000 kilograms
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The Bureau of Plant Industry confirmed import permits were issued but warned the cargo might have deteriorated and become unfit for consumption due to the consignee’s failure to process and release it
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BPI recommended withholding shipments from the local market due to food safety concerns and to avoid coinciding with the peak onion harvest season
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The shipments were declared abandoned after the consignee failed to process and claim them
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) discovered 26 abandoned containers of fresh red onions from China at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), with an estimated market value of P86.684 million.
The unpaid duties and taxes are estimated at P9.07 million out of a total tax liability of P9.65 million, the BOC said in a media release.
The shipment covered 72,215 bags with a manifested gross weight of 650,000 kilograms, a volume large enough to materially affect onion prices in local markets.
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno, accompanied by Senator Francis Pangilinan, led the inspection of 26 containers carrying the detained shipment with a manifested gross weight of 650,000 kilograms, which had been declared as fresh red onions and was found to have unclaimed, unpaid customs entries, triggering an abandonment decree under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) confirmed that import permits had been issued for the shipments. But with the cargo sitting unclaimed at the port, the BPI warned that the onions’ integrity and quality may have already deteriorated to the point that the goods are no longer fit for human consumption. The agency formally recommended against releasing the shipments to the local market.
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BPI also noted that releasing about 650 tonnes of imported onions now would flood the market during peak local harvest, risking unstable prices when farmers rely on stable markets to recover costs.
The case originated with the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service at the MICP, which flagged the shipments through coordinated verification with the MICP district collector, Atty. Geoffrey De Vera IV, and subsequently cross-checked with the BPI.
The unclaimed and unpaid status of the entries led directly to the issuance of the abandonment decree under paragraphs (c) and (d) of Section 1129 of the CMTA.
“We will continue to act on all reports involving suspicious, unclaimed, or abandoned shipments, especially agricultural products that may affect our farmers, consumers, and legitimate businesses,” Nepomuceno said. “The Bureau of Customs will remain steadfast in enforcing the law with transparency and accountability.”
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