The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) raided yesterday 94 stalls inside the Harrison Shoe Plaza in Pasay City and seized around P50 million worth of smuggled and fake branded shoes and apparel.
The raid was prompted by intelligence reports confirming the presence of the illegal and fake goods bearing the brand names Nike, Adidas, Lacoste and World Balance.
On the strength of a mission order signed by PASG head Antonio Villar Jr., the PASG team spot-checked all the stalls rented by businessmen Albert Wong and Willy King, who were not around during the raid.
The team found that the third up to the fifth floors are rented mostly by Chinese traders, who did not speak Filipino or English, and are believed involved in the marketing and trading of these counterfeit goods.
“It’s time to apply the brakes on these smugglers cum businessmen who have been the subjects of complaints from various multi-national firms. If there is a need to go tough on them, then we will do so,” Villar said.
He sought the help of the Bureau of Immigration to track down Wong and King and verify if they can legally do business in the country. There are reports that Wong and King may actually be just registered as tourists.
Villar ordered the filling of charges for violation of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) and Intellectual Property Rights Law (IPR) against Wong and King and their cohorts.
Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered the destruction of P24.9 million worth of fake Honda generators, engines and motor pumps.
He has also ordered a thorough investigation into the entry of these products and possibly the filing of charges against importers Comsan Marketing and Gemritz Trading.
Honda officials said the Philippine market has been infiltrated by counterfeit engines, mostly from China, since 2001. – Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan