P50M fake shirts, footwear destroyed in Laguna

SAN PEDRO CITY – The Bureau of Customs on Friday began destroying counterfeit goods worth about P50 million.

The items, among them rubber shoes, sandals, shirts, and jackets that bore popular brands, were among those seized during a raid in a warehouse in Pasay City in December 2017.

The goods, about 500,000 pieces of them, were destroyed by shredding or crushing them at Tritek Reverse Logistics Corp., an accredited facility in this city, said Customs spokesperson Erastus Austria.

The process may take days to finish, he said.

Austria said the items were most likely imported from China or Vietnam and were brought in illegally without paying duties and taxes.

“If these products successfully enter our market, it will affect legitimate businesses in the Philippines, that’s why we proceeded with its destruction. This is to show also that none of the seized items are recycled by the employees of the Bureau of Customs,” said Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, in a statement.

Austria said the condemnation of counterfeit goods is part of the Intellectual Property Code as well as the Philippines’ obligations to world trade treaties. MARICAR CINCO