Customs agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday destroyed in Trece Martires, Cavite, another smuggled shipment of hazardous products and unregistered medicines.
NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the 365 kilos of medicines and cosmetics were imported without clearance from the Food and Drug Administration and were declared unsafe for human consumption.
“This mode of condemnation of thermal decomposer (Pyrolysis) will guarantee that no single item will find its way to the market and ensure that the public is safe against unregistered goods,” she said.
On Dec. 7, Customs-NAIA also destroyed at least four tons of cosmetics and food products that were declared unsafe for human consumption
The latest condemnation brings to 373.19 tons the total unregistered goods that had been destroyed by the Port of NAIA.
The series of condemnation is in line with the directive of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonard Guerrero to inspect all abandoned and overstaying cargoes in order to check illegal goods and their immediate disposal to decongest warehouses. It is also part of the agency’s intensified campaign against erring importers.
Talusan says despite the ongoing pandemic, the Bureau of Customs is focused on disposing of illegal shipments that unnecessarily congest Customs facilities.
She says the condemnation is timely as trade through the new normal would rely heavily on logistics and contactless transactions.
Talusan also assured all its stakeholders that they would continue to do their work despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.