CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Persons involved in the importation of goods amounting to about P35 million will be facing charges after the Bureau of Customs-10 (BOC-10) confiscated more than a dozen container vans on Wednesday.
Seized by Customs were bales of used clothing estimated to be worth P10 million, and undetermined tons of garlic and onions believed to be worth P25 million.
The smuggled goods, which were inside the 14 container vans, came from South Korea and China.
Leading the opening of the vans was Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña who visited the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT), a BOC-10 sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
Lapeña said the consignees failed to properly declare the items causing the Customs to seize them.
To date, the BOC has yet to identify the name of the consignees and importers of the confiscated products.
He said consignees and brokers’ accreditation will be suspended and might be revoked.
Lapeña said charges for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act may be filed against those involved.
The seized goods, he added, will be disposed of properly through auction, destruction or donation.
During his visit, Lapeña said some P50 million was already allocated by the BOC national headquarters for the construction of the MCT sub-port office and the upgrading of its X-ray facilities.
The Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) has granted 1.5 hectares of lot for the site of the MCT buildings under a usufruct agreement between PIA and BOC, as part of the agency’s expansion in one of the Customs’ biggest income-earning ports.
The improvement of the MCT sub-port, Lapeña said, is part of the BOC’s modernization, as he plans to make the Customs X-ray facilities nationwide at part with other countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea.
For his part, PIA administrator and lawyer Franklin Quijano, said he is committed to working together with the Bureau of Customs to eliminate smuggling at the MCT, one of the ports in the Philippines serving as an international hub for imported cargoes. (davaotoday.com)
