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The Bureau of Customs-Port of Manila has confiscated P2 million worth of fresh onions
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The 25,000 kilos of onions shipment from China did not have the required permits from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry
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The absence of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance led to the issuance of a warrant of seizure and detention
The Bureau of Customs-Port of Manila (BOC-POM) confiscated P2 million worth of fresh onions during an inspection on October 3.
The 25,000 kilos of onions from China lacked the necessary Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance or SPSIC from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI). This prompted authorities to issue a Warrant of Seizure and Detention order.
BOC-POM district collector Rizalino Jose Torralba, along with DA-BPI director Glenn Panganiban, assistant director Ruel Gesmundo, and plant quarantine chief Joan May Tolentino, led the inspection.
“This recent seizure reflects our firm resolve in ensuring that products that are non-compliant with laws, rules, and regulations do not infiltrate our markets,” Torralba said in a statement.
Customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio commended the operation against agricultural smuggling.
“By rigorously enforcing import regulations, we not only shield our citizens from unsafe agricultural products but also enhance public trust and ensure the integrity of our nation’s food supply,” Rubio said in a statement.
From January to August, this year, the BO conducted 1,803 agri smuggling seizure operations, with an estimated value of P3.70 billion.
The Department of Finance recently announced that alongside the BOC, it is ready to fully implement the Republic Act (RA) No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on September 26, 2024.
The new law aims to curb the rampant smuggling, cartels, profiteering, and hoarding of agricultural products.
RA 12022 expands the coverage of illegal activities classified as acts of economic sabotage involving agricultural products not previously covered under the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
READ: 12 onion importers, traders face P2.4B fine for market manipulation
