MANILA— Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña inspected PHP215 million worth of goods seized at the port of Cagayan de Oro (CDO).
The seized goods, which were inspected last Sept. 16, were either prohibited items, misdeclared, or lack the necessary import permits and other required documents.
In a statement Tuesday, Alvin Enciso, officer-in-charge of the port’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) noted that an investigation is ongoing to “determine if the M/V Jake Vincent Seis’ owner purposely evaded paying the PHP35 million import duties and taxes.”
The said shipment was plying within the BIMP-EAGA route when its operations were only limited to domestic routes in the Philippines.
Likewise, the BOC-CDO official presented the more than PHP5 million worth of used clothing from Japan, stored inside two 40-footer containers and was consigned to Kornet Express, Inc.
Also presented were a 20-footer container of steel ethylene cylinders from China valued at PHP1.5 million. It was declared as aluminum ethylene cylinders and consigned to Linde Philippines, (South) Inc.
Two used cargo trucks found dismantled inside two 40-footer containers were also seized. The shipments, estimated to be worth Php3 million came from Japan and consigned to Ghulam Traders International Corporation.
The CDO port has also apprehended more or less Php5 million worth of China red onions on August 4. The two 40-footer containers from China, consigned to Govgen Agri Products International.
Meanwhile, District Collector Jamail Marohomsalic reports that CDO port was able to post a revenue surplus of PHP1,553,511,484 in their collection target covering the period from January to August.
It collected PHP8,951,856,484 against its target collection of PHP7,398,345,000.
On the other hand, Lapeña is hoping that other ports will also be able to reach their targets for the remaining months of the year.