BALAGTAS, Bulacan , Philippines — Ten rice mills at the Intercity Industrial Estate in Balagtas, Bulacan, a major rice trading center in Luzon, were padlocked by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the past two days.
Maj. Neil Cruzado, Balagtas police chief, said BOC agents raided the rice mills after receiving reports on the sale of undocumented rice.
Cruzado clarified that the Balagtas police was not part of the operations.
Concerned rice millers and rice mill owners told The STAR that BOC agents arrived between 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The entrance and exit to the rice mills were closed. Workers were told that operations are suspended pending investigations to be conducted tomorrow.
A rice mill owner who refused to be identified said they were only told to produce documents. ”Walang sinasabing dahilan,” the owner said.