The Bureau of Customs in Cavite destroyed shipments of counterfeit cigarettes and other unsafe products previously seized at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The condemnation, according to NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan, was conducted last June 6 in a facility operated by Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) situated in Trece Martires City.
She added the shipments of expired and unregistered food items, used UV lamps, prohibited Chinese medicines, and 60 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes worth more than P4.6 million were condemned via pyrolysis using high-temperature heat to incinerate and totally destroy the subject products.
Talusan said the shipments of counterfeit cigarettes bound for Australia were seized last year while the others were imported without the necessary health and safety clearances from concerned government agencies.
She stressed the importance of preventing the entry of prohibited goods especially medicines and food products that were illegally imported without the necessary permits. “We came up with the condemnation to protect the people from unsafe
products, especially the foods and medicines,” Talusan told Manila Standard.
The condemnation, which also aimed to ensure that warehouses and facilities of Port of NAIA’s can accommodate all incoming importations, was conducted under the supervision of Customs NAIA’s Auction and Cargo Disposal Division.
Collector Talusan also highlighted the importance of ensuring ease of doing business and expeditious release of goods.
She said her port will continue to check unsafe and hazardous goods arriving into the country without the proper approval and safety standards clearance.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Customs bureau under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero vowed to continue protecting consumers and the nation by ensuring, through intensified vigilance and border protection, that only products certified by regulatory agencies with necessary permits are released in all ports of entry.