The Bureau of Customs intercepted at least 495 sacks of Myanmar White Rice estimated to be worth over half a million pesos in Cebu City.
Cebu Port Enforcement and Security Service chief District Commander Jerry Arizabal said Wednesday the shipment arrived at the Port of Cebu from Kaohsiung, Taiwan on July 23, consigned to a certain Theresa Lawas, allegedly a resident of Barangay Pansoy in the town of Sogod, Cebu.
BOC-ESS operatives checked with Barangay Pansoy and confirmed that it had no resident named Theresa Lawas.
BOC Cebu District Collector Atty. Charlito Martin Mendoza ordered a 100 percent physical examination of the shipment, which yielded 495 bags of Myanmar White Rice, which was not covered by any Sanitary and Phytosanitary Clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
Myanmar White Rice is currently sold for 2,225 kyat (about P80) a kilo, making it a premium rice variety.
Last month, the Port of Cebu seized various smuggled goods worth over P14 million. This latest apprehension is part of the Port’s intensified campaign against smuggling as directed by the Commissioner, Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
“Report what you know, even anonymously, so we can verify, investigate and seize smuggled goods. This way, you are helping the government in our anti-smuggling campaign and bolster economic recovery during this pandemic,” Mendoza said.