Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero commended the district collection office of Ninoy Aquino International Airport for its achievement in 2019 when it intercepted a total of P821.15 million worth of smuggled items.
Of the total amount, P430.8 million were from two seized aircrafts—an 80-seater Magnum Air (Skyjet) and a 50-seater twin-turbo propeller aircraft of Air Republiq—and P308.3 million from illegal drugs such as shabu, cannabis, cocaine and kush from both foreign and local suspects.
From 2018 to 2019, a total of P672 million worth of drugs were intercepted.
Also seized were P82.05 million worth of meat and meat products without Sanitary and Phytosanitary import clearance, illegal wildlife species from illegal wildlife trade, used cellphones without National Telecommunications Commission permit, unregistered beauty products which were found harmful, and guns and ammunition without proper permits.
This accomplishment of the Port of NAIA was recognized last Feb. 7 during the Bureau of Customs 118th Founding Anniversary at South Harbor, Port Area, Manila.
The recognition was given to NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan.
“This year, NAIA has already seized P29.5 million worth of illegal goods from different warehouses and we will continuously protect the borders against illegal and prohibited commodities,” said Talusan.
The campaign, according to Talusan, is in support of the reform programs and the renewed 10-point priority agenda of Guerrero earlier announced the revival of the agency’s Priority Program he initiated last year.
The program consists of the continuation of the filling up of plantilla positions, full automation of frontline transactions, improvement of the risk management system, implementation of Customs modernization program, attainment of ISO certification, enhancement of trade facilitation, rationalization of penalty regimes, enhancement of management and technical skills, enhancement of stakeholder’s engagement and intensification of border protection.