Seized ‘ukay-ukay’ worth P40M to go to DSWD

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon: Best option.
INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs has seized over P40.5 million worth of smuggled “ukay-ukay” (used clothing) in the past three months and the agency plans to turn them over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for distribution to victims of typhoons, floods and other calamities.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon on Wednesday said, “It’s the best option, especially that confiscated used clothing can’t be disposed of by auction since they are prohibited goods.”

“We will offer the seized ukay-ukay to the DSWD for their use in calamity operations,” he told the Inquirer.

According to the former Muntinlupa City legislator, “the DSWD may have better use for these goods since they are mandated to provide assistance to calamity victims.”

He earlier ordered an inventory of seized and abandoned smuggled goods, including ukay-ukay, in all ports nationwide for possible distribution to flood victims in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

Sometime in early 2012, the bureau donated P20 million worth of illegaly imported used clothing to northern Mindanao folk who were displaced by floods spawned by Tropical Storm “Sendong.”

On Wednesday, Biazon inspected three 20-foot containers with P4.5 million worth of ukay-ukay smuggled from the United States, at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

The items, consigned to Isidro Enterprises of Iloilo City, were misdeclared as fishing supplies by its shipper, Dev’s Commercial. They were intercepted on July 19 by Customs operatives at the MICP.