THE Customs Police Division (CPD) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu recommended the seizure of 4,300 cartons of hazardous mosquito coil from China after the consignee, Stargaze Enterprises, failed to submit a certificate of product registration (CPR).
In his memorandum for District Collector Roberto Almadin, District Commander Jerry Arrizabal asked him to declare the importations abandoned pursuant to Section 1801, paragraph (b) of the Tariff and Customs Code as amended by Republic Act 7651 and Customs Memorandum Order 15-94 entitled “Revised Guidelines on Abandonment.”
Arrizabal informed Almadin that upon verification and personal notification to the customs broker for submission of CPR from the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration (BFAD) 7, the consignee failed to comply.
Section 1801, paragraph (b) of the Customs Code provides that: “When the owner, importer, consignee or interested party after due notice fails to file an entry within 30 days, which shall not be extendible from the date of discharge of the last package from the vessel or aircraft, or having filed such entry, fails to claim his importation within 15 days, which shall not likewise be extendible from the date of posting of the notice to claim such importation.”
Arrizabal said 2,150 cartons arrived from China last March 15, 2014 and the other 2,150 arrived last March 22.
“More than fifteen days had elapsed and the consignee failed to claim such importations,” Arrizabal said.
The coil shipments are reportedly brokered by a certain Boboy Lao.
Elizabath Tabasa, the chief of BFAD 7 licensing and regulations division, said Arrizabal is correct in recommending for the seizure of the shipment because it has no CPR from their office, hence, it may pose danger to the people.
She said that they had a meeting with customs officials last week and they agreed that as a matter of procedure, no shipments involving food and drug shall be released if they are not registered with BFAD 7.
“Customs officials already knew that imported products without CPR are banned and must be destroyed,” Tabasa said.
Tabasa did not comment on the report that China mosquito coils may be toxic. Not having passed through a BFAD 7 laboratory test. (EOB)