The Department of Agriculture (DA) has called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to suspend the release of 59 container vans recently unloaded at the Subic Bay Freeport, citing strong suspicion that the shipments contain smuggled agricultural goods, primarily onions and fish.
“Under the new Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law, we can pursue not just the consignees but customs brokers, transporters, sellers, and buyers. Smuggling is no longer a victimless crime. We are going after the entire supply chain,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
The DA chief warned of common misdeclaration tactics employed by smugglers, such as falsely declaring frozen mackerel or fresh onions as processed food.
The warning came after a separate joint operation on Tuesday at the Port of Manila, where the DA, Health Department, Food and Drug Administration, and BOC intercepted six container vans falsely declared as processed food.
The vans carried over 100 tons of fresh onions and frozen mackerel, valued at P34 million, consigned to Latinx Consumer Goods Trading and Lexxa Consumer Goods Trading, which are now facing blacklisting by the Bureau of Plant Industry.
According to Tiu Laurel, the Subic-bound shipments are linked to five trading firms currently under review for possible blacklisting.
He noted that the DA blacklisted 18 companies in 2024 alone, more than the combined total of the past 10 years.
“With unified efforts from the DA, DOH, and DOF, we can protect our farmers and ensure fair trade,” Tiu Laurel said as he condemned the continued entry of smuggled goods into the country.
