BUTUAN CITY – The destruction of some 12,000 kilos of smuggled white onions recently intercepted at the port of Surigao City started Thursday, an official of the Bureau of Plant Industry in the Caraga Region (BPI-13) said.
In an interview, Rayme Ladao, BPI-13 plant quarantine officer, said the contraband was seized at the Surigao port on Monday.
The onions, placed in 1,498 net bags, were loaded in a 10-wheeler truck from Cagayan de Oro City bound for Tacloban City.
It has an estimated market value of PHP6 million, the BPI-13 said.
“The transportation of the white onions has no authority. There is no sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance or SPSIC being issued by the agriculture department to authorize such importation,” Ladao said.
He said imported goods are usually delivered to major ports in Mindanao, including Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.
“They tried to domestically transport the smuggled white onions from Cagayan de Oro via the Caraga Region, to Tacloban,” Ladao said.
He said the destruction of the intercepted contraband, which is being done in Surigao City's landfill area, is necessary to protect the health of the people in the region.
“Since these white onions are not documented, we cannot assure if these are fit for consumption or have passed the necessary processes required by law. There is a need to destroy these smuggled products,” Ladao said. (PNA)
P6-M smuggled onions destroyed in Surigao
By Alexander Lopez
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