Bureau of Customs seizes P2.8-million smuggled onions

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs recently confiscated 50,000 kilos of smuggled onions, worth P2.8 million, that arrived at the Port of Manila (POM) from China, an official said Friday.

In a statement, BOC Commissioner Angelito Alvarez said the shipment, in two 40-footer shipping containers, was illegal because it was allegedly not supported by an import permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry and did not possess a valid phyto-sanitary certificate from the country of origin.

POM district collector Rogel Gatchalian said the confiscation prevented the entry of cheap produce and should please the local onion growers.

The unauthorized shipment, which was detected by the bureau’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), reportedly arrived last Aug. 3 and was allegedly consigned to Airfreight Alliance Inc.

Alvarez said the latest confiscation is the seventh shipment of smuggled onions seized in the last four months alone, and the smugglers’ combined losses have reached more than P35 million.