5,000 bags of hot onions in cold storage seized by Customs.
Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon and Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Danilo Lim yesterday (March 22, 2013) led other Customs officials in inspecting and presenting to media 5,000 bags of illegally imported red and white onions approximately worth P3,000,000, which were seized earlier by Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and Intelligence Division (ID) operatives at the Marcelo Cold Storage at North Bay, Navotas City.
According to Biazon the hot onions were seized by virtue of a Letter of Authority issued on March 18, 2013, and a Warrant and Seizure Order issued on same date after the surveillance operations of the Customs operatives on Navotas cold storage confirmed the presence of the hot onions.
“The operators of the Marcelo Cold Storage could not show import documents or proof of payment for the duties and taxes on the imported onions stored in its cold storage. So we had to seize the illegally imported onions to avoid its getting into the local market.” Biazon said adding that, “This is to protect the interest of the local farmers from the ill effects of agricultural products smuggling, particularly onions.”
The local onion raisers are partly blaming smuggling as one of the reasons for the local onion industry’s stagnant growth.
Biazon stressed that the BOC is closely monitoring the Importations of agricultural products, whether within or outside BOC premises to ensure that only legally imported products like onions are able to get to the local markets. Onion importation is regulated by the Department of Agriculture and is allowed only during lean production months of onions in the Philippines to ensure the absorption of locally produced onions by the local market and to avoid price distortion as well.
“We are very much concerned on the interest of the local farmers. This is the reason why we maintain a zero tolerance policy for agricultural products smuggling. We will seize all illegally imported products, particularly agricultural, no matter who are the people behind it and no matter where these illegally imported agricultural products are.” Biazon said.
For his part Lim expressed confidence on his unit’s anti-smuggling initiatives saying that the enhanced intelligence network of the BOC Intelligence group (IG) will result in more seizures to follow.
“This hot onion seizure today will definitely result on jobs saved for many local onion growers. It is on this light that our operatives are working doubly hard to get smuggled agricultural products like onions, off the local markets.” Lim said.
Lim further explained the onions that were seized by CIIS and Intelligence Division operatives under Fernandino Tuason and Richard Rebong respectively, will eventually be destroyed and disposed in accordance with the law, even as he stressed that the BOC will still pursue legal action to those involved in bringing the 5,000 bags of onion into the country without the required import permit from the Department of Agriculture.
According to Biazon the hot onions were seized by virtue of a Letter of Authority issued on March 18, 2013, and a Warrant and Seizure Order issued on same date after the surveillance operations of the Customs operatives on Navotas cold storage confirmed the presence of the hot onions.
“The operators of the Marcelo Cold Storage could not show import documents or proof of payment for the duties and taxes on the imported onions stored in its cold storage. So we had to seize the illegally imported onions to avoid its getting into the local market.” Biazon said adding that, “This is to protect the interest of the local farmers from the ill effects of agricultural products smuggling, particularly onions.”
The local onion raisers are partly blaming smuggling as one of the reasons for the local onion industry’s stagnant growth.
Biazon stressed that the BOC is closely monitoring the Importations of agricultural products, whether within or outside BOC premises to ensure that only legally imported products like onions are able to get to the local markets. Onion importation is regulated by the Department of Agriculture and is allowed only during lean production months of onions in the Philippines to ensure the absorption of locally produced onions by the local market and to avoid price distortion as well.
“We are very much concerned on the interest of the local farmers. This is the reason why we maintain a zero tolerance policy for agricultural products smuggling. We will seize all illegally imported products, particularly agricultural, no matter who are the people behind it and no matter where these illegally imported agricultural products are.” Biazon said.
For his part Lim expressed confidence on his unit’s anti-smuggling initiatives saying that the enhanced intelligence network of the BOC Intelligence group (IG) will result in more seizures to follow.
“This hot onion seizure today will definitely result on jobs saved for many local onion growers. It is on this light that our operatives are working doubly hard to get smuggled agricultural products like onions, off the local markets.” Lim said.
Lim further explained the onions that were seized by CIIS and Intelligence Division operatives under Fernandino Tuason and Richard Rebong respectively, will eventually be destroyed and disposed in accordance with the law, even as he stressed that the BOC will still pursue legal action to those involved in bringing the 5,000 bags of onion into the country without the required import permit from the Department of Agriculture.
A March 22, 2013, press release from the Bureau of Customs
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