By Benjamin Pulta | Philippine News Agency
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday filed criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against officials and private individuals implicated in the importation of misdeclared agricultural products, including thousands of sacks of onions and carrots.
In a statement, the BOC said six criminal complaints have been filed against the owner and representatives of an importer, a licensed customs broker, BOC officials and personnel, and other individuals allegedly involved in six shipments declared as “chicken lollipops.”
The shipments, consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading and arrived in June 2025, were found during physical examinations to contain a total of 15,029 sacks of fresh white onions and 2,164 boxes of fresh carrots, in violation of Republic Act (RA) 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The agricultural products were also not covered by the required Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
The complaints against the concerned BOC officials and personnel likewise cited RA 10863’s Section 1431 (c), (e), and (f) of the CMTA, which penalizes, among others, the willful neglect of duties enjoined by law, providing an opportunity for or failing to perform an act with the intent to enable another person to defraud the government of customs revenue, and negligently or designedly permitting another person to violate the law.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) has endorsed the appropriate administrative charges against the concerned BOC officials and personnel to the Prosecution and Litigation Division (PLD) for hearings under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service (RACCS).
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the BOC will relentlessly pursue not only smugglers and their accomplices, but also any Customs official or employee found to have participated in, facilitated, or benefited from illegal activities.
“Wala tayong pagtatakpan at hindi natin kukunsintihin ang anumang paglabag, lalo na kung may pagtatangkang abusuhin ang ating mga proseso. Ang pananagutan ay para sa lahat,” Comm. Nepomuceno said.
With the filing of the six complaints, the BOC has now filed 96 criminal cases with 288 respondents, leading to the confiscation of PHP13.7 billion worth of illegally imported items from 2025 through 2026.
In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the government’s campaign against agricultural smuggling, the BOC continues to strengthen border protection and internal accountability through the Bureau’s Integrity, Accountability, and Modernization (IAM) Movement.
