P100M worth of smuggled mackerel, vegetables seized in Subic
According to Oscar Oida's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' agricultural products from China were found inside 10 container vans.
'They declared it as chicken lollipops and chicken karaage and it turns out to be sibuyas (onions), carrots and mackerel so misdeclared definitely, yung kanilang accreditation nagparating mapuputol na yon (their accreditation will be revoked),' said Noel Estanislao, Bureau of Customs (BOC) district collector.
The 10 container vans were among the first 52 flagged by Customs which in turn issued clearances to 19 others.
'It destroys the lives of our farmers and fisherfolks, yung mga legitimate businessman na gumagawa ng tama. Anything na na pumasok na pagkain can be a biohazard kaya nandun yung national security angle,' Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr said.
(It destroys the lives of our farmers, fisherfolks, and businessmen who follow the rules. Any food entering the country can be a biohazard, so we're looking at national security.)
Last week, authorities seized P34 million worth of frozen mackerel in the Port of Manila.
DA said 20 companies were blacklisted because of agricultural smuggling.
They will face charges for violating the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
Laurel said the company's broker, stockholder, president, director, and corporate secretary will also be investigated. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
PDEA: 4.3 tons of shabu confiscated in first half of 2025
A total of 4.3 tons of shabu were seized in anti-illegal drug operations conducted in the first six months of 2025, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has said. According to Ivan Mayrina's report in '24 Oras', the figure was more than double the 1.3 tons of shabu confiscated over the same period last year. Among the shabu items seized were those found floating in the waters off Zambales, Pangasinan, Ilocos Region, Cagayan, which were believed to have originated from foreign syndicates. Meanwhile, one was charged after shabu was found in a fishing boat last year. 'Kasi marami hong modus ang ginagamit nitong mga drug personalities – isa na ho diyang iyong floating shabu, pangalawa iyong sa fishing vessel. And isa rin po, iyong they try to package it as food products,' said PDEA spokesperson Joseph Frederick Calulut. (Because these drug personalities use many methods – one is the floating shabu, the second is the fishing vessel. And another is that they try to package it as food products.) 'So, if we are looking at the packages na nakuha natin sa fishing vessel plus doon ho sa floating shabu, parehas po iyong packaging po nila – saan po nanggaling po ito?" he added. "Doon ho sa may Golden Triangle area. Eh kung tatanungin po saan po ba iyong Golden Triangle area? Ito po iyong boundaries ng Myanmar, Thailand and Laos,' Calulut said. (So, if we are looking at the packages we got from the fishing vessel plus the floating shabu, they have the same packaging – where did it come from? It's in the Golden Triangle area. So, if you ask me, where is the Golden Triangle area? These are the boundaries of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.) PDEA operatives on Monday confiscated P749 million worth of shabu found in four balikbayan boxes from the USA. These were concealed inside the packaging of cereals, chips, and instant noodles. According to the report, the shipment came from California, and the address of the supposed recipients is in Mandaluyong and in Quezon City. "We are conducting our follow up operations doon po sa mga consignees because most likely iyong consignees iba iyong pangalan although identified naman iyong pangalan sa consignee patuloy po iyong ating follow up operation po," Calulut said. (We are conducting our follow-up operations on the consignees because most likely the consignees have different names, although the consignee's name is identified. We will continue our follow-up operations.) –Vince Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
Retired judge allegedly helped in resolving Atong Ang's cases, says Patidongan
A retired judge allegedly helped the group of businessman Charlie 'Atong' Ang resolve the cases he's facing, whistleblower Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan said. According to Ian Cruz's exclusive report on '24 Oras,' Patidongan claimed that the former judge also helped him and five others to be acquitted in one of the cases connected to the disappearances of over 30 sabungeros. 'Katulad ng itong sa kaso namin na anim, kaya medyo naabsuwelto kami, kasi si ex-judge na 'yan,' he said. (Just like the case that the six of us faced, we were acquitted because of that ex-judge.) Patidongan alleged that it was Ang who told him that the former judge had his hands on their case. 'Kaya naman nalalaman ko, nagtatago ako o nasa bahay na ako sa Mindanao, tinatawag niya sa akin yan, pagsabi nya: 'Dondon, magpasalamat ka kay ex-judge ha? Kasi siya naayos na ang ano natin.' Minsan kasi nasa Japan 'yan sila, doon sila naguusap-usap,' he said. (I knew about him because when I was hiding in Mindanao, he [Ang] called me up to tell me: 'Dondon, give your thanks to the ex-judge ha? Because he worked on our case.' They were both staying sometimes in Japan and they discussed things there.) Patidongan also claimed that the former judge had a big influence on the judiciary. But Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the Supreme Court is already investigating the alleged corrupt judges who could be involved in the disappearances of the sabungeros. 'Information pa lang 'yan… Basta I gave them something they're trying to digest now. But there's more coming, there's more coming,' said Remulla. (That's only information…I gave them something and they're trying to digest it now. But there's more coming.) For its part, the Supreme Court said that it had already received information about the matter. 'The Supreme Court has received initial information from the Department of Justice regarding claims that an individual allegedly involved in the 'Sabungero' case may be exerting influence over judges and justices,' said SC in a statement. '...the Court treats such information with utmost seriousness and conducts an independent and thorough investigation. When warranted, appropriate actions are taken under established procedures,' it added.—GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
9 hours ago
- GMA Network
TNVS robbed, killed by passengers picked up in Parañaque
A driver of a transportation network vehicle service was allegedly robbed and killed by his passengers, whom he had fetched before at an establishment in Parañaque on May 18. According to John Consulta's report on "24 Oras," the car didn't reach its destination in Molino town and instead was driven around in the province. Audio from the car's dashcam indicated that the victim, Raymond Cabrera, was no longer driving the car. The sounds also showed that he was being stabbed. The NBI later retrieved CCTV footage showing two of the suspects disembarking the stolen vehicle in the afternoon of May 18 in Valenzuela. 'Nakita natin sa CCTV yung mga taong nagdala. Kung san pagbaba nila sa convenient store, lumabas sila, sumakay ng pedicab, at later on, sumakay pa sa isa pang sasakyan,' said Atty Joseph Martinez, NBI agent on case. (We saw the suspects in the CCTV footage. Upon arriving at a convenience store, they rode a pedicab and another vehicle.) 'Masakit kasi hindi niya deserve mangyari sa kanya yun, yung mga dinanas niya sa mga taong walang awa. Patas siyang lumalaban sa buhay. Hindi siya nanloloko ng tao,' the victim's wife said. (It hurts because he doesn't deserve what happened to him, the things he went through with suspects. He fights fairly in life. He did not deceive anyone.) The NBI has identified the suspects, but the victim's body has yet to be found. Meanwhile, the victim's son said their family wants to find his body to give him a proper funeral. They are offering a P100,000 reward for information about the victim as they urge the public to reach out to them for any details. The suspects are facing carnapping and robbery with homicide charges. –Mariel Celine Serquiña/NB, GMA Integrated News
