MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized yesterday six shipping containers of onions, estimated at P14 million, that were allegedly smuggled into the Manila International Container port (MICP) from China.
Every year, the BOC beefs up its monitoring during the onset of the Christmas season since this is the time of the year when smugglers attempt to sneak agricultural products into the country.
In a statement, BOC Commissioner Rufino Biazon said the onions were misdeclared as fresh pears and household décor.
Five of the 40-footer containers, consigned to RSG Marketing, arrived on July 26, while one container consigned to Adier Enterprise Trading came into the country Aug. 2.
Biazon said the seizure of the onion shipment is in support of the local onion growers in the country.
BOC Intelligence Group (IG) Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim said that if the shipment had been released, “thousands of our local onion raisers could be spending a bleak Christmas.”