Plants, beef brought by travelers seized at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - Plant and animal quarantine officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 confiscated flowering plants, fruits and 10 kilos of beef brought into the country by travelers Monday night.

Quarantine officers Bart Mesolania and Pacita Barron told The STAR that an Australian man married to a Filipina brought gumamela and petunia plants and the soil in which they grew.

They said they confiscated pomelos from Thailand and fresh beef from New Zealand brought by foreigners without the necessary import and health permits from the travelers’ point of origin.

Presidential Decree 1433, the plant quarantine law, prohibits travelers from bringing into the country plants, plant products and planting materials, including soil, without import permit or clearance.

Mesolania and Barron said they are protecting the country’s plants from being infected with pests and diseases the imported plants may have.