P5.5-B illicit cigars, fake products seized
‘There is no place in the Philippines for this and any organization that tries to pursue smuggling under our watch will have the law to answer to.’
Daily Tribune‘There is no place in the Philippines for this and any organization that tries to pursue smuggling under our watch will have the law to answer to.’
Agent of the BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service inspects boxes of illegally imported cigarettes seized in a warehouse in Meycauayan, Bulacan on Friday.
photograph courtesy of BOC
In a bid to curb the entry of fake products, the Bureau of Customs on Saturday announced the seizure of P5.5 billion worth of counterfeit items and illegally imported cigarettes in a warehouse in Bulacan province.
Based on the report of the BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (BoC-CIIS), the operation took place on Friday.
BoC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso said that a Letter of Authority (LoA) was immediately issued after the CIIS received derogatory information that the subject warehouse in Meycauayan, Bulacan was storing imported cigarettes and IPR (intellectual property rights)-infringing goods.
“When the team got there to serve the LoA, they found a volume of stored imported cigarettes amounting to P500 million and P5 billion worth of IPR-infringing items,” he added.
Among the counterfeit items in the warehouse were gadgets, devices, and garments.
CIIS-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) chief Alvin Enciso, whose team led the serving of the LoA, underscored the importance of finding P5.5 billion worth of fake goods.
“We do not want to be a haven for counterfeit items. That is not the kind of message we want to send potential investors and even tourists. More so, that is not what the Marcos administration wants the country’s reputation to be,” he said.
He added that the latest operation represents the “long and grueling hours” that come with a successful raid.
“We have the manpower, the resources, and the technology to counter these illegal activities. There is no place in the Philippines for this and any organization that tries to pursue smuggling under our watch will have the law to answer to,” Enciso stressed.
After the operation, the agents temporarily secured the entrance and exit gates of the warehouses with padlocks and seals.
The warehouse owners and operators were given 15 days from the service of the LoA to submit documents to show that the subject imported goods were legitimately imported and that correct duties and taxes were duly paid pursuant to Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
They will also face charges in accordance with Republic Act 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, Republic Act 10963, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law), and the National Tobacco Administration Board Resolution 079-2005 (amended rules and regulations governing the exportation and importation of leaf tobacco and tobacco products).
