Holiday parcels under tight watch in ports

Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group (IG) General Danilo Lim has ordered all units under his command to beef up their intelligence gathering activities to intercept undocumented goods even before they reach Philippine ports and airports, especially those from high-risk countries to curb smuggling of substandard goods this Christmas season.

“We are monitoring even the smallest package that enters our postal units, and have on the alert several shipments of goods that do not have the required permits for entry. We are especially on the alert for shipments of food, toys and electrical products that may pose danger to the health and safety of our consumers and we want to make sure that these will not leave the ports and reach the market,” Lim said.

According to Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Postal Unit head Alvin Enciso, they are strictly implementing faster and more effective monitoring systems implemented by the deputy commissioner that makes it easier to keep track of parcels that contain regulated goods and those that do not have proper documentation.

“We have improved our systems and made them more proactive, alerting suspicious parcels even before they reach our shores. This is due mostly to our strengthened intelligence gathering drive. We have made the processes more secure and stringent especially since we are dealing with packages and not containers,” he said.

Enciso said smugglers see December as their best opportunity to rake in profits for their unsafe imports because of the huge market demand during the Christmas season.

“We expect them to be more aggressive this month because this will be a good opportunity for them to earn a lot because the public is on the lookout for cheap goods,” he added.

“However, we have to warn the public that they should be doubly careful in checking whether these products adhere to standards or may cause more harm to them with the use or intake of these cheap unsafe goods. We will be watching our ports like a hawk,” Enciso said.