The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), intercepted 25 metric tons of illegally imported red onions from China at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental, the agency said in a news release.
In a report submitted to BPI Director Glenn Gerard Panganiban, Arnold dela Cruz, officer-in-charge of Region X’s Plant Quarantine Service, said the shipment was consigned to Lantix Consumer Goods Trading, a company based in Binondo, Manila.
The cargo arrived on May 26 and was declared to contain various frozen goods such as egg noodles, croissant dough, pizza dough, buns, and spring rolls.
However, acting on a tip, the BPI-Plant Quarantine Service in Cagayan de Oro requested the BOC to withhold release of the container van for further inspection. A physical examination conducted on June 11 revealed that the shipment contained fresh red onions, not the items listed in the ship’s manifest.
The estimated customs value of the smuggled onions is around ₱2 million.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Department of Agriculture had not issued any sanitary and phytosanitary import permits for red onion shipments from China.
He affirmed that the government would pursue legal action under the newly enacted Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which imposes heavier penalties on agricultural smuggling, including substantial fines and extended prison terms.
“We intend to go after these unscrupulous traders with the full force of the law,” said Secretary Tiu Laurel, echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the fight against agricultural smuggling to protect farmers, consumers, and public health.
Following the discovery, the assigned BOC examiner has recommended the seizure and confiscation of the shipment.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa BOC at kay District Collector Arthur Sevilla ng Mindanao Container Terminal. Sa mabilis na coordination ng DA-BPI at BOC, hindi na nakalabas sa ang mga smuggled onion sa mga pamilihan,” said Tiu Laurel.
