(PIA-NCR file photo)
CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) — Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel discovered P400 million worth of suspected smuggled rice and other imported products during an operation they conducted in three warehouses in Tondo, Manila on September 16, 2023.
According to Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio, of the goods found in the warehouses, P90.2 million is 36,086 sacks of imported rice from Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar.
“While our government and kababayans scramble to make rice cheaper and more accessible, these businesses are possibly smuggling and hoarding them, which further adversely impacts our efforts to bring the prices down,” Rubio said, and said that Pang’s directive. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will intensify the bureau’s anti-smuggling and anti-hoarding efforts in the country’s staple grain.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy added that the operation was conducted pursuant to Letters of Authority (LOAs) signed by the commissioner against three warehouses located in Antonio Rivera St. and Dagupan St. in Tondo, Manila.
“We were expecting to find rice, but it was still disappointing to see tens of thousands of sacks of rice in these storage areas, especially since our very own people are clamoring for more supply and to bring the prices down further even amid the price ceiling we now have,” he said.
Still among the imported miscellaneous goods discovered are P310 million worth of children’s toys, cosmetics, kitchenware, household wares, videoke machines, fabrics, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, shoes, apparel, and general merchandise.
Meanwhile, CIIS Director Verne Enciso emphasized the importance of verifying derogatory information and hiring the right people who can deliver good results.
Upon arrival at the warehouses, the group presented the LOAs to the warehouse representatives before conducting the inspection of such storage areas.
The warehouses were also temporarily boarded up and sealed while the inventory of the goods will be conducted by the designated Customs examiners. (PIA-NCR)
