Authorities have intercepted two separate shipments of sugar, which lacked necessary permits, at the Port of Manila (POM) for violations of customs and importation rules.
In a statement, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, BOC Assistant Commissioner of the Post Clearance Audit Group Vincent Philip Maronilla, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy, and POM District Collector Alexander Gerard Alviar jointly led the inspection of the intercepted sugar shipments on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
The BOC said the first operation was carried out on May 23, 2025, following a Pre-Lodgement Control Order issued by the BOC-POM.
The Customs said a joint team from the BOC, SRA, DA, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and other enforcement units examined two 20-foot container vans from Thailand containing 1,000 sacks of refined sugar.
While the consignee was registered with the SRA, the BOC said the shipment lacked the required import allocation and clearance, rendering the importation unauthorized.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS)-POM recommended the issuance of a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) for violations of Section 117 (Regulated Importation and Exportation) in relation to Section 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and Sugar Order No. 6, Series of 2022–2023.
Another shipment, which arrived on April 29 at the POM from Thailand, involved two container vans of refined sugar imported “without any permit or import allocation from the SRA.”
The BOC said it examined the two abandoned 20-foot containers in coordination with the SRA, DA, Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc. (CCBI), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) -POM, and CIIS-POM and found 1,040 bags labeled “sweet mixed powder.”
Both shipments of sugar are valued at approximately P9 million, according to the Customs.
“President Marcos Jr. has made it clear that the smuggling of agricultural commodities and other regulated goods will not be tolerated. These operations are a direct response to his marching orders to safeguard our borders and protect the welfare of the Filipino people,” said Rubio.
In a separate statement, Tiu Laurel said, “We cannot let these illicit trading practices undermine the agriculture sector and hurt our farmers, particularly those in the sugar industry.”
“The closer coordination among government agencies to clamp down on smuggling as well as the implementation of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law which doesn’t allow bail should put fear on these illicit traders,” the Agriculture chief said.
The DA chief instructed the SRA to blacklist the importers of the seized sugar shipments.
The DA, through its Inspectorate and Enforcement office, last year seized P2.83 billion worth of smuggled farm goods, around P1 billion higher compared to the level in 2023.
From January through May 19 this year, DA-IE already seized and condemned smuggled farm goods worth a total P407.6 million. — Ted Cordero/BM, GMA Integrated News
