Official says BOC also intercepted ‘smuggled’ agri products in high seas

FILE PHOTO: Officers from the Customs intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) inspect boxes containing red and white onions that were misdeclared as frozen dimsum balls. The Bureau of Customs says the agricultural goods seized from December 27-28, 2022, was worth P139.7 million. | Bureau of Customs

MANILA, Philippines — A Bureau of Customs (BOC) official told senators on Monday that their agents had also confiscated agricultural products smuggled into the country through the high seas.

BOC Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla also disclosed during the Senate committee on agriculture, food, and agrarian reform hearing that they recently seized 86 shipping containers of smuggled onions.

“Pagdating sa smuggling, may mga nahuhuli ho kami recently — there were instances that we had apprehensions of smuggling in high seas also, agricultural products that [were], I think, rice,” Maronilla said.

(When it comes to smuggling, there were arrests recently — there were instances that we had apprehensions of smuggling in high seas also, agricultural products that were, I think, rice.)

“Sa mga dumaong, meron po kaming 86 containers na nahuli recently. These are onions, dinaan po sa Port ng Mindanao Container Terminal, Subic, and Davao,” he went on.

(For shipping containers that were docked, we apprehended 86 containers recently. These are onions that were passed through the Port of Mindanao Container Terminal, Subic, and Davao.)

However, for Senator Cynthia Villar, the 987-metric-ton smuggled agricultural items seized through the high seas are “worthless.”

“Nine-hundred eighty-seven metric tons, ang liit-liit naman nu’n. Nung in-import nga ng 2021, more than 100,000 metric tons. Parang very small ‘yung nahuli ninyo,” Villar said.

(Nine-hundred eighty-seven metric tons, that figure is so small. We imported more than 100,000 metric tons in 2021. What you apprehended seems very small.)

“Irrelevant. Kung sa figure na pinag-uusapan natin, siya ‘yung nira-round off sa 1,000. Round-off figure lang ‘yun. Walang kwenta ‘yun,” the panel chairperson added.

(Irrelevant. In figures, that amount is just rounded off. That is a round-off figure only. That is worthless.)

The panel is investigating the soaring prices of onions in the country.

READ: High onion prices a symptom of misgovernance

Over the weekend, the Department of Agriculture said that onion farm gate price dropped to P250 per kilo while suggested retail prices are likewise declining at P400 per kilo in some areas.

READ: In some areas, onion farm gate price declines to P250, SRP at around P400 — DA

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