Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Teodosio, Philippine Marine commandant, said the 650 bails of used clothing loaded in two motor bancas were spotted by elements of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 (MBLT) off Barangay Rhio, some two kilometers away from the city proper.
Teodosio directed the troops to turn over the seized goods for proper disposition to the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
The authorities are now tracing the identity of the consignee of the smuggled items, which were reportedly unloaded first in Sulu before it was shipped here.
Customs deputy district collector Romy Guan said the imported smuggled items cannot be auctioned and there is no way for the owner to legally retrieve the banned merchandise.
Mayor Celso Lobregat, who personally inspected the smuggled items, sought the immediate disposition of the imported used-clothing to the city. He said it will be used by the local government for its humanitarian mission.
The government loses millions in taxes every year due to the unabated smuggling of imported items in Western Mindanao. — Roel Pareño