Two separate shipment with the same consignee were found to contain eight hundred twenty-five (825) pieces of used smart phones, Lithium batteries and phone accessories worth P15 million.
Per verification with the National Telecommunications Commission, used cellphones are not given permits except for those intended for personal use or as gifts for family members or relatives, but not in commercial quantity or use.
NTC does not issue permits for used cellphones due to safety and security reasons as well as to protect the legitimate interests of manufacturers.
Samsung Philippines Corporation through their Public Relations Head Marlene Cinco commended the Customs NAIA for their vigilance.
“We laud the Bureau of Customs, headed by District Collector Carmelita Talusan, for helping keep the Philippines free of possibly counterfeit products that did not seek proper importation permits and sufficient quality control. We ask the public to remain vigilant when purchasing Samsung devices.
Samsung is committed to quality. We have also re-assessed every step of the smartphone manufacturing process to ensure public safety. Therefore, we strongly encourage the public to only purchase Samsung devices from authorized-Samsung stores nationwide to ensure that they get to fully enjoy their devices now and in the future.”
