BOC Files Complaint vs. 14 Over Misdeclared Agri Products

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against 14 individuals, including nine of its own personnel, over alleged misdeclared agricultural products at the Port of Subic. According to the BOC, six complaints were filed for alleged violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) against the owner and representatives of Berches Consumer Goods Trading and the BOC personnel in charge of examining and appraising the goods. BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the respondents misdeclared white onions and carrots, totaling P17.5 million. “Again, ito ay magsilbing babala kahit sa aming mga tauhan na mananagot ang mga nagkakamali sa batas,” he said. (Again, this will serve as a warning, even to our personnel, that those who violate the law will be held accountable.) “Ito ay utang natin sa ating mga kababayan, again mga magsasaka, mangingisda na naghihirap araw-araw upang kumita ng tama, magtrabaho nang marangal at itong mga smugglers ay hindi nahihiya sa kanilang patuloy na pagsubok na kumita sa pamamagitan ng smuggling,” he added. (This is something we owe to our fellow Filipinos, again, the farmers and fishermen who struggle every day to earn fairly and work honorably, while these smugglers are not ashamed of their continued attempts to profit through smuggling.) He also warned the public against the danger of consuming smuggled goods. “Delikado kapag smuggled. Hindi natin alam dahil merong epekto sa kalusugan. Hindi sila kumukuha ng tamang permiso sa Department of Agriculture, in particular halimbawa sa DTI (Department of Trade and Industry)… Delikado,” he said. (It is dangerous when it is smuggled. We don’t know because it has an effect on health. They do not obtain the proper permits from the Department of Agriculture, particularly, for example, from the DTI… It is dangerous.) Nepomuceno said that the respondent BOC officials are now under preventive suspension. Meanwhile, Nepomuceno said that the BOC will also file a complaint for violation of the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act of 2024 (AAES). “Itong P17 million na ito ay lagpas sa threshold na tinatawag ng AAES. Ang threshold po ay P10 milyon. Kaya ito, sasampahan din natin ng violation ng AAES,” he said. (This P17 million is above the threshold set by the AAES. The threshold is P10 million. So we will also file a [complaint for] violation of the AAES.) In total, the BOC has conducted 1,882 operations, recovering smuggled goods worth P84 billion, according to the commissioner. Of the P84 billion, he said that almost P14 billion were due to agricultural smuggling. —KG, GMA News