CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Bureau of Customs in region 10 has destroyed P13.5 million onions from China which were wrongfully declared as food stuff by the importer.
The shipment was declared as “cream cheese” and “frozen puff pastries” but turned out to be onions upon inspection by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)
Oliver Valiente, CIIS head in Northern Mindanao, said they received intelligence report that a shipment will arrive at the Mindanao Container Terminal sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental on Aug. 10, 2021.
The cargo, Valiente said, was consigned to JDFallar Consumer Goods Trading.
He said the onions was burned at a facility in Barangay Mantibugao, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon on Sept. 18.
Valiente said the onions were condemned due to health reasons as the shipment has no sanitary permit.
Upon issuance of an alert order by lawyer Elvira Cruz, BOC-10 district collector, the shipment was then subjected to a physical examination resulting to the discovery of onions, a violation under Section 1400 of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) for misdeclaration.
Misdeclaration of goods defrauds the government of its rightful revenues, Cruz said.
A case for violation of the CMTA will be filed against the consignee of the smuggled goods, the collector said.
In a separate interview, Elizabeth delas Llagas, BOC-10 deputy district collector for operations, said they are always on alert for smuggled good that enter the local ports.
