(Sa Misamis Oriental port)P20-M SMUGGLED ONIONS NASABAT

NAHARANG ng mga awtoridad ang dalawang containers ng smuggled onions na nagkakahalaga ng P20 million sa Mindanao Container Terminal Port sa Misamis Oriental nitong Miyerkoles.

Ayon sa Bureau of Customs (BOC), ang shipments ay nakumpiska sa isang joint operation ng BOC Northern Mindanao, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), Enforcement Security Services (ESS), Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. (CCBI).

“Onions are being sold at higher prices in our local markets. This should not have been a predicament for an agricultural country like us. The more empowered these people feel about smuggling these products, the more our economy will suffer. So, we cannot let that happen because the people will be the most affected,” sabi ni Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz.

Ang shipment ng 50,000 kilograms ng sibuyas na idineklarang tinapay at pastries ay nagmula sa China at dumating sa Cagayan de Oro City noong Dec. 6, 2022.

Sinabi ni CIIS director Jeoffrey Tacio na nakatanggap sila ng intelligence information hinggil sa containers na dadaan sa MCT port habang dala ang smuggled onions.

“As we’re nearing the end of 2022, I’m glad to see that our agents are still hard at work in stopping these smuggled goods from passing through our borders. Now more than ever, it is so critical to protect our economy from the adverse impact of smuggled agricultural products,” aniya.

Nang matanggap ang joint request ng CIIS at ESS noong Dec. 9, agad na nag-isyu si Port of Cagayan de Oro District Collector Alexandra Lumontad ng Pre-Lodgement Control Order (PLCO) laban sa shipment sa parehong araw.

PNA