BOC finds onions smuggled in abandoned shipping containers

MANILA, Philippines - Onions were hidden in at least seven of 88 shipping containers abandoned at the Manila International Container Port since they arrived two months ago, the Bureau of Customs said yesterday.

Jessie Dellosa, deputy commissioner for Intelligence Group, said they have so far opened 10 shipping containers of garlic and seven of them carried red and white onions he suspects had been smuggled.

He estimated the value of the entire shipment to be around $616,000.

Dellosa said the shipment, flagged by the BOC’s Enforcement Group, arrived on May 25. The containers were consigned to two firms, Great Light Trading and San Fred Trading.

“The two consignees were only allowed to import garlic. They had no import permit for onion,” he said.

Dellosa said had the Bureau of Plant Industry issued import permits for the onions, the local market would be flooded with imported onions, to the detriment of local farmers.

Some of the onions were stored in refrigerated containers, delaying their decomposition, but some had rotted, he said.

Dellosa, who also chairs the BOC’s committee on disposal of abandoned containers, said one of the problems they face is that shipping containers with cargo due for condemnation are piling up.

“The problem here is how do we condemn them? As of our count last year there are still 168 containers of frozen meat that need to be condemned, now we have to add 88 more containers. So this is a problem especially since some of the (containers) are already emitting a putrid smell,” he added.