Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18) — The Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Wednesday denied allegations that it is working with smugglers and Department of Agriculture (DA) officials to smuggle onions and other agricultural products into the country.
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“We deny the allegation kasi makikita naman po natin sa performance ng Bureau of Customs at ng Department of Agriculture… ang ating commissioner (Yogi Filemon Ruiz) ay siya mismo ang nangunguna pagdating sa pagsawata sa smuggling,” BoC spokesperson Arnaldo dela Torre Jr. told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
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[Translation: We deny the allegation because as you can see in the performance of the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture, our commissioner personally leads the fight against smugglers.]
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He also denied the bureau has double standards when it comes to going after smugglers, after senators condemned the BoC for humiliating 10 Philippine Airlines flight attendants who tried to sneak in about 40 kilos of agricultural products, but leaving big-time smugglers and cartels untouched.
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READ: Customs: PAL case on bringing in undeclared onions, other products not isolated
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Dela Torre noted that coordination between the two agencies, as well as with other law enforcement agencies, has further intensified.
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During a Tuesday interview with CNN Philippines, AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones claimed Agriculture and Customs officials conspired with onion smugglers, leading to the present crisis which has affected farmers and consumers.
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Dela Torre said the bureau works with the DA, sharing information about the possible smuggling of agricultural products.
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He said these efforts helped authorities confiscate various agricultural products possibly smuggled into the country — including rice, sugar, carrots, and onions — in accordance with the implementation of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
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The confiscated items had an estimated value of around ₱1.9 billion, but Dela Torre did not specify the time period when the products were seized.
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