12 smuggled cars from US intercepted by Customs in Manila port
According to the BOC, the two shipments contained four 2000 Honda Civic units, three 1998 Honda Civic units, one 1996 Acura Integra, one 1999 Honda Civic, one 2022 Honda S2000, one 2004 Honda S2000, and one 2007 Mini Cooper S.
The BOC said the estimated value of the shipment is P10.8 million.
The shipments which arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) were consigned to Danesh Consumer Goods Trading from the United States, and were found to have 12 motor vehicles after being subjected to x-ray imaging after the BOC received information that these were misdeclared and undeclared items.
'We had solid information that these shipments may be smuggling motor vehicles into our country under the guise of importing car accessories and parts,' BOC deputy commissioner Juvymax Uy said in a statement.
'The bureau will file the appropriate cases and make sure that these organizations will be held responsible. The BOC is not beating around the bush. We have an all-hands-on-deck approach and we are ready to use all our resources — both technical and technology — to get to the bottom of these smuggling activities,' BOC commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.
The BOC — mandated to supervise and control the clearance of vessels and aircraft engaged in foreign commerce — is tasked to collect nearly P1.06 trillion this year. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
21 hours ago
- GMA Network
BOC, DOH, DA unveil P34M worth of smuggled onions, frozen fish in Manila
The Bureau of Customs (BOC), along with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), unveiled several containers of misdeclared agricultural products at the Port of Manila on Tuesday. In the unveiling, authorities from BOC, DOH, and DA revealed that 6 container vans from China that were initially declared as 'mantou, egg noodles, and kimchi' turned out to be smuggled agricultural products worth at least P34 million. The imports reportedly arrived in the country on May 27 and June 1 and was flagged on June 10 to contain P10.2 million worth of red onions, P3.8 million worth of white onions, and P20.08 million worth of frozen mackerel. The smuggled imports added up to an estimated value of P34,203,504.38. 'As you see now, there are three agencies here working together because yung programa po ng gobyerno ngayon pagdating sa agricultural smuggling is a whole of government approach. Meaning, di po to responsibilidad lamang ng Department of Agriculture, tulong tulong po ang buong gobyerno dito,' said BOC Assistant Commissioner and Spokesperson Vincent Maronilla. (As you see now, there are three agencies here working together because the government's program when it comes to agricultural smuggling is a whole of government approach. This means that it's not just the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture, and that the entire government will work together on this.) Any individual found to be involved in the said importation may face charges for violation of the amended Agricultural Smuggling Act and the Customs and Tariff Act for Illegal Importation. DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Attorney Paolo Teston noted that unapproved agricultural produce may not be safe for human consumption. 'Pwede merong may mga lead, may poisonous products, heavy metals, mikrobyo [ang mga produkto na ito]… They did not go through the regulation of Food and Drug Administration. Yung FDA, yun ang trabaho para maging safe lahat ng pagkaing binebenta sa ating mga tindahan para sa mamamayan natin,' said Herbosa. ([These products] may contain lead, poisonous products, heavy metals, or microbes… They did not go through the regulation of Food and Drug Administration. That is the FDA's job to ensure that all the food being sold in markets to the public is safe.) He also pointed out that even the labelled products were considered contraband, as it did not follow the FDA regulations for English labels. Should the smuggled produce be declared safe for human consumption following further testing, the items may be turned over to the DA for distribution to the public. However, Laurel said the tested contraband were positive for and salmonella, which may lead to gastrointestinal illnesses and death in severe cases. 'Etong isda, mukhang may pag-asa na sana okay. Kung sakaling okay ito, malamang ipapamigay ito ni Pangulo sa mga tao pag tested as food-safe,' Laurel shared. (The fish may possibly be fine. If this is okay and tested as food-safe, it will most likely be distributed by the President to the public.) 'Ang E. coli causes gastro-intestinal illnesses, pagtatae, [at] paglalagnat. Kung may edad ka o batang-bata, pwede ka pa mamatay from dehydration. So, may issue talaga ng food safety ang smuggled food items,' Herbosa continued. (E. coli causes gastro-intestinal illnesses, diarrhea, [and] fever. If you are very old or very young, you may even die of dehydration. There really is an issue with food safety when it comes to smuggled food items.) On the part of the DA, Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that they have blacklisted a total of 18 companies for alleged smuggling from January to June 2025 and are looking into adding more following the unveiling of further suspected illegal imports in Subic. 'Mayroon kaming pinapahold na 59 containers sa Subic ngayon. I would like to inform everybody, lalo na sa customs brokers na nagre-release ng mga ito. Hahabulin [sila], kasama sila sa kaso ngayon. Hindi lang yung consignee… 18 na yung nakblacklist namin [na companies as of] 6 months. Magiging 25 pa yan pag nabuksan pa yung sa Subic,' said Laurel. (We are currently holding 59 containers in Subic. I would like to inform everybody, especially customs brokers that released these. We will chase [them down], and they are included in the charges now. Not just the consignee… There are 18 blacklisted [companies as of] 6 months. It will become 25 once we open once we open the ones in Subic.) 'As long as we work together, tuloy-tuloy, I am confident na 90% [ng mga smugglers] dito masusugpo natin. Noong ako ay nagswear-in nung November 2023, yan yung isa sa unang direktiba [ni President Marcos]. Solve agricultural smuggling, kaya di po kami humihinto diyan. Matinik din yung kalaban natin, pero as long as we work together here in government, I think we will solve the problem,' he added. (As long as we continuously work together, I am confident that 90% [of these smugglers] will be eradicated. When I swore in last November 2023, this was one of the first directives [of President Marcos]. Solve agricultural smuggling, so we will not stop. Our enemy is very clever, but as long as we work together here in government, I think we will solve the problem.) Laurel noted that DA is looking into calling for risk assessments on containers from China, following back-to-back smuggled import busts of agricultural produce from said country. '[Sa] China lahat [galing ang shipments], kaya magri-risk assessment tayo ng galing sa China [na containers]. Kung kailangan buksan lahat ng container galing China, gagawin natin yun para siguradong wala nang makalusot,' he said. (All [the shipments came from] China, so we will conduct a risk assessment on [containers from] China. If we need to open all containers from China, we will do so to ensure none of them will sneak past us.) Earlier, the DA reported that smuggled onions collected and tested from Paco Public Market last week have tested positive for E. coli. Laurel said the items had been confiscated in coordination with the LGU. A separate shipment of 25 metric tons of red onions were also found at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental. It will undergo further testing for contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticide residue, and other harmful bacteria. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- GMA Network
Smuggled onions in Paco market tested positive for E.coli —DA
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday warned the public against buying smuggled or illegally imported onions after samples collected last week from the Paco Public Market in Manila tested positive for E. coli bacteria. 'This is a food safety issue and a clear threat to public health,' Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement. 'We will order the confiscation of those onions as required under the Food Safety Act of 2013,' he added. Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said he has formally informed the Manila local government unit about the test results from the Paco market samples, which indicated possible fecal contamination and poor sanitation in the handling and processing of the red onions. According to Mayo Clinic, E. coli can cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms may appear three or four days after exposure to the bacteria. 'To protect the public and consumers from food-borne illnesses and unsanitary conditions, we recommend the confiscation of the said commodities,' Panganiban wrote in his letter to the Manila LGU. The DA has not issued any permits for onion imports, in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to safeguard local farmers, who have just completed their harvest. Tiu Laurel also instructed the BPI and other DA units monitoring public markets to be on alert for suspected smuggled onions and to immediately submit any samples for testing. Last week, Tiu Laurel asked the assistance of the Philippine National Police in gathering intelligence to apprehend onion smugglers. Meanwhile, a separate shipment of 25 metric tons of red onions, intercepted by the BPI and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental, will also be tested for contaminants—including heavy metals, pesticide residues, and harmful bacteria. The DA will ask the BOC to turn them over for government redistribution if they are determined to be safe for consumption. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- GMA Network
DA, BOC intercept 25 MT of smuggled red onions in Misamis Oriental
The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have intercepted 25 metric tons (MT) of illegally imported red onions from China at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental. In a news release on Tuesday, the DA said the seized cargo arrived on May 26 and was declared to contain various frozen goods such as egg noodles, croissant dough, pizza dough, buns, and spring rolls. The shipment's release was withheld for 'further inspection' following a request from the BPI-Plant Quarantine Service in Cagayan de Oro to the BOC, citing 'derogatory information.' The DA said that a physical examination conducted on June 11 revealed that the shipment contained fresh red onions, which were not listed on the ship's manifest. The Agriculture Department said the estimated customs value of the smuggled onions is around P2 million. Following the discovery, the DA said the BOC had recommended the seizure of the shipment. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA had not issued any sanitary and phytosanitary import permits for red onion shipments from China. Tiu Laurel said the government would pursue legal action under the newly enacted Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which imposes heavier penalties for agricultural smuggling, including substantial fines and extended prison terms. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
