The Bureau of Customs (BoC) reported that it has impounded 21 containers of smuggled frozen mackerel from China which was presented to the media by BoC officials with Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in Port Area, Manila on Wednesday.

This comes as the Marcos administration has intensified its crackdown on illegal agricultural imports.

According to the BoC, its unit, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) of the MICP, recommended issuing a Pre-Lodgement Control Order last 16 October for the 21 containers of frozen mackerel originating from China.

The recommendation followed the receipt of derogatory information regarding the shipments. The CIIS estimated the value of each container of frozen mackerel to be P8.5 million, totaling P178.5 million.

Reports also said that the BoC issued a request for the issuance of a Pre-Lodgement Control Order due to concerns that the shipment contained misclassified, misdeclared, and undeclared goods.

“Our mission to protect the country’s agricultural sector is just as important, just as critical as our mission to stop illegal drugs and many others from entering our borders. Keeping smuggled agricultural products off our local markets ensures fair competition in the domestic market. It also keeps the costs of goods down,” the BoC statement read.

In a letter dated 25 October 2024, Deputy Commissioner for the Intelligence Group, Juvymax Uy, addressed to the MICP district collector Rizalino Torralba, reiterated the CIIS’ recommendation to issue a WSD for the shipments.

“This request was based on information indicating that the shipments were not covered by any SPS Import Clearance from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR),” Uy said in the letter.

According to CIIS Director Verne Enciso, the 21 containers of frozen mackerel arrived at the MICP in late September 2024 and remained unclaimed by the consignee. Around the same time, the CIIS contacted the BFAR to inquire about the current requirements for mackerel importation and whether the consignee had been issued an SPSIC.

Divine Ramos of the BFAR’s Fisheries Certification Section confirmed that the importer, “Pacific Sealand Foods Corporation,” has no application for mackerel from 30 August to 16 September 2024.

Further applications had also been “rejected” following a memorandum from the DA suspending the issuance of SPSICs for the importation of round scad, mackerel and bonito.

“Currently, we are in the process of gathering information on the consignee of these shipments and filing appropriate cases. We also want to emphasize the importance of proper coordination among various government agencies that contributed to the seizure of these goods,” Enciso said.

The consignee may face charges of violating Sections 117 and 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to DA Memorandum Order 14, Series of 2024, and other existing DA regulations.

For his part, Laurel said the shipment lacked a necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance.