Customs to auction off unclaimed imported goods

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs is to auction off shortly millions of pesos worth of unclaimed imported goods at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

The goods are packed in 275 container vans, an undisclosed number of which have been unclaimed since 1989.

The MICP is conducting an inventory of the goods prior to the planned sale, which is intended to “decongest the port and raise additional revenues for the government,” bureau’s Public Information and Assistance Division said, adding it would post details of the auction on the bureau’s website.

In a January 28 memorandum, MICP District Collector Elmir de la Cruz said the disposal of the overstaying shipments was “in compliance with Section 2601 of the Tariff and Customs Code.”

Last week, the bureau announced it would sell P17.6 million worth of smuggled imported goods seized earlier by the agency. The items included five second-hand luxury vehicles—four Cadillac Escalades and a second-hand Lincoln Navigator— with a floor price of P4.55 million.

Also to be sold in the public auction is a shipment of caustic acid worth P5.85 million, paper materials valued at P1.79 million and more than 1,700 cases of groceries and animal feeds consigned to Rustan Supercenters, Inc., among others.