Traders face charges for P19-M onion, garlic smuggling attempt

MANILA -- Two traders are now facing charges for separately attempting to smuggle onions and garlic from China worth P19 million.

The traders, identified as Rady Garbosa and Carlos Uy, are charged with violations of Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines and of the Rule II of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Quarantine Administrative Order 1.

Garbosa, a resident of Binondo, Manila, who owns RSG Marketing, misdeclared his P10 million worth of onions as fresh pears. His forty-footer container vans shipment of onions arrived at the Manila International Container Port on August 2.

Meanwhile, Uy, a resident of Laguna who owns Aqua Blue Marine Trading, tried to illegally bring into the country four 40-footer container vans of garlic worth P9 million from China, which arrived at the Port of Manila on June 27.

The smuggling charges against the traders were filed by Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon.

"We have to jail smugglers, if we want to put a stop to smuggling, especially those who indulge in agricultural products smuggling as it is not only killing the local onion industry, it is virtually killing the families of onion raisers," said Biazon.

Biazon earlier said the importation of food and agricultural products such as onion and garlic usually peak at the onset of the Christmas season.

But he also warned that the illegal entry of agricultural products into the country also usually occur during the so-called "ber" months.

Last September, four 44-foot container vans of illegally imported garlic from China worth over P8.96 million were also seized by authorities. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)