P800-M fake goods seized in Olivarez warehouse

MANILA, Philippines - At least P800 million worth of counterfeit products were seized yesterday from two warehouses owned by the family of Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

Bureau of Customs (BOC) deputy commissioner Jesse Dellosa said they found imitations of branded luggage, slippers, rubber shoes, and backpacks in the two warehouses at the Olivarez Compound in Barangay San Dionisio.

Olivarez confirmed that his family owns the raided warehouses, which were leased to a firm called ZQL Enterprises, owned by Richard Gonzales Cheng.

He categorically denied that his family owns the items seized by the BOC.

“We will cooperate with the proper authorities to get to the bottom of this case, and we will let the law take its course,” Olivarez said.

He said he instructed Parañaque police chief Senior Superintendent Ariel Andrade to conduct a separate investigation.

Dellosa, asked if the Olivarez family would be held liable, said it “would depend on the outcome of the investigation.”     – Evelyn Macairan, Perseus Echeminada