(Eagle News) — The Bureau of Customs has seized over half a million pesos worth of smuggled rice from Myanmar.
The bureau said the 495 bags of white rice were intercepted on Aug. 10 from the port of Cebu.
This was made possible following a tip that a shipment that arrived from Kaohsiung, Taiwan on July 23 was loaded with imported rice.
The Inward Foreign Manifest had declared the shipment contained personal effects of a certain Theresa Lawas allegedly a resident of Barangay Pansoy in the municipality of Sogod, but Customs operatives confirmed that the barangay had no resident named as such upon checking.
A pre-lodgement control order was issued against the shipment on July 29, upon a physical examination that showed the bags did not contain personal effects as stated in the manifest.
The bags of rice were also not covered by any Sanitary and Phytosanitary Clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
Acting District Collector Mendoza reminded importers to properly declare their goods, and to properly identify themselves in shipping documents.
He also urged the public to contribute in the fight against smuggling.
“Report what you know, even anonymously, so we can verify, investigate and seize smuggled goods. This way, you are helping the government in our anti-smuggling campaign and bolster economic recovery during this pandemic,” Mendoza said.