MANILA -- Customs personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have seized 48 cartons of glutathione and beauty products valued at PHP8.65 million.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said the two shipments, which belonged to one James Malinao Halasan, came from Bangkok, Thailand on board Philippine Airlines flight PR731 and arrived in the country on February 13.
The parcels, weighing 927 kg. and 1,120 kg. filed under informal entry, showed image irregularities during the X-ray examination.
District collector BOC-NAIA, lawyer Phillip Maronilla, issued an alert order on the parcels for alleged misdeclaration.
According to a report, Halasan resides at 11A16 Victoria 1 GMA Kamuning, Quezon City. The customs broker was identified as Isagani Cortez.
Customs chief Isidro Lapena said the customs examiner physically examined the packages and found the misdeclared items in the presence of agents of the Enforcement and Security Service, X-ray Inspection Project, and Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force.
The BOC-NAIA had also placed on hold another shipment of Halasan that was declared as personal effects but was suspected to contain the same misdeclared beauty products.
"To ensure that his packages will not slip under our sleeves, BOC already issued an alert order on the remaining eight packages," he said in a statement.
The BOC-NAIA is waiting for reckoning date of abandonment to seize the packages.
"The value of the remaining 501 kg. will be determined once the inventory is done," Lapena said, adding that it would be subject to seizure for violation of section 1400 of Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act .
The goods are with the Collector's Coral, awaiting further disposition. (PNA)
