The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) successfully intercepted a shipment of smuggled fresh carrots yellow onions, and cigarettes worth an estimated P136 million, at the Port of Subic on Wednesday.
The illegal cargo, consisting of 58 metric tons of carrots and 86 metric tons of yellow onions, amounting to P21 million, was discovered in five containers aboard the vessel SITC Licheng, which had arrived from China on August 15.
The importer, Betron Consumer Goods Trading, had falsely declared the shipment as frozen fish egg balls.
The inspection, triggered by a request from the Bureau of Plant Industry-Plant Quarantine Service (BPI-PQS), revealed the discrepancy between the declared goods and the actual contents of the containers.
Fresh vegetables require a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) from the BPI, whereas processed food items need permits from the Food and Drug Administration.
DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. vowed to intensify efforts to combat smuggling as an economic sabotage that deprives the government of tariff revenue, jeopardizes public health, and harms local farmers.
BPI director Gerald Glenn Panganiban announced that the seized vegetables will undergo testing to ensure their safety for consumption.
Accidentally discovered during the inspection was a separate shipment of illegal tobacco worth P115 million, found hidden in boxes behind imported tissue paper.
“As directed by President Ferdinand Marcos,7 Jr., we will be relentless in our effort to go after these smugglers,” the DA chief said.
