BOC donates 4,000 MT of seized sugar to DA

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday donated to the Department Agricultue (DA) 4,000 metric tons of refined sugar from Thailand that it seized in January for lack of proper documents.

In a statement, the BOC said the 80,000 bags of Thailand white sugar arrived at the Port of Batangas on Jan. 12 on board motor vessel Sunward.

Since the shipment was reportedly not accompanied by a notice of arrival, the bureau issued a warrant of seizure and detention against the shipment and the Sunward.

On April 14, the BOC decided to forfeit the shipment in favor of the government.

On July 21, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno approved a proposal to donate the sugar.

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio and DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban yesterday signed the Deed of Donation and Acceptance for the commodity.

Rubio thanked the Department of Finance, the DA and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for their support to the BOC, which he said made the donation possible.

“We believe that through DA, this donation will reach various local communities and enable our fellow Filipinos to conveniently access sugar,” Rubio said.

P70 per kilo

The sugar will be sold at P70 per kilo in Kadiwa markets and stalls of the DA, according to acting SRA administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.

“Once the MOA is signed, the stocks will be transferred and repacked,” Azcona said.

The donation is in compliance with a directive of President Marcos to address the rising prices of basic commodities, particularly sugar, and achieve food security.

As per the latest supply and demand situation of the SRA, the current sugar supply is more than enough to sustain existing demands.

The report noted a physical stock of 262,328.30 MT raw sugar, 448,106.45 MT refined sugar and 148,264.29 MT molasses as of July 16.

Based on DA’s monitoring in Metro Manila wet markets, refined sugar is sold from P86 to 110 per kilo, while raw sugar from P78 to 90 per kilo as of Monday.

In a report, the BOC said the total value of smuggled goods seized by the bureau reached P23.851 billion from January to June.

This is part of the 603 anti-smuggling operation seizures conducted during the six-month period.

For the first half, illegal items caught by the BOC included counterfeit goods, agricultural commodities, tobacco products, illegal drugs and general merchandise. — Louise Maureen Simeon