Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. inspected today 10 container vans seized at Subic Port containing smuggled agricultural products. This is considered one of the largest single seizures under the new Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the estimated value of the contents of the 10 container vans is around PHP100 million, which includes frozen mackerel, fresh yellow onions, and carrots.
For the total of 31 alerted container vans, the value could reach hundreds of millions of pesos. The Secretary stated that all cargo was imported illegally.
The products will undergo examination, and if deemed hazardous, they will be destroyed immediately.
Since June, the DA has filed 15 alert requests, resulting in the seizure of 76 container vans suspected of containing smuggled goods. This effort is part of the DA’s intensified campaign, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to combat agricultural smuggling and protect the local food supply.