SEIZED. Expired frozen products found in one of five refrigerated vans during a raid conducted by the Bureau of Customs on a warehouse in Caloocan City on Tuesday (Aug. 1, 2023). Concealed in the five vans were about 70 tons of spoiled frozen products, such as ice cream, meatballs, and meat products that expired in 2021, valued at PHP30 million.
(Photo courtesy of BOC)
MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Friday they would work on case buildup and profiling against those behind the recently seized PHP30 million worth of expired frozen meat and other products from China.
In a statement, BOC Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Verne Enciso said an investigation is underway to identify those possibly involved.
“Protecting our consumers remains a priority of the bureau. We can ensure to put a stoppage to these nefarious activities by apprehending individuals and groups through well-planned and coordinated inter-agency operations," he said.
The BOC conducted a joint operation with the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Meat Inspection Service and raided a warehouse in Caloocan on Aug. 1 where five refrigerated vans were found.
Concealed in the container vans were about 70 tons of spoiled frozen products, such as ice cream, meatballs and meat products that expired back in 2021.
Enciso said the BOC would work to ensure proper procedure and prosecution once perpetrators are identified.
Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan earlier said the warehouse along C3 corner Tuna St., Barangay 28 has no official permit from the local government unit.
"Inatasan po natin ang City Assessor’s Office na alamin kung sino ang may-ari ng lote upang matunton natin kung sino ang nag-renta o nagmamay-ari ng mga container van (We instructed our City Assessor's Office to identify who owns the lot so we could trace who rents or owns the container vans)," Malapitan said in a Facebook post.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy underscored stringent interception measures to safeguard the country's agriculture sector.
He said such measures, alongside inter-agency collaboration and information sharing, are crucial for economic resilience and public health.
“Our agriculture industries will only remain vibrant if we do our mandate of intercepting possible entry and/or local distribution of disease-bearing and/or expired/ spoiled frozen meat and animal by-products, and pro-actively protecting both the consumers and our industries," Uy said. (PNA)
