Umaabot sa P4.8 bilyon ang halaga ng mga hinihinalang smuggled vapes, counterfeit branded items, cosmetics, at general merchandise, na nakumpiska ng mga tauhan ng Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) ng Bureau of Customs (BOC) sa isinagawa nilang pagsalakay sa Binondo, Manila noong Biyernes.
Pinuri ni BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio, na siyang lumagda sa Letter of Authority (LOA), ang CIIS-MICP team nang mahadlangan nito ang tangkang pagpupuslit ng malaking halaga ng counterfeit items at iba pang merchandise, katuwang ang mga tauhan ng Enforcement and Security Service-MICP at Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
"I am sure that this will be one of the biggest operations by the BOC this year in terms of the value of the goods found. In recent months, we've been monitoring several warehouses for violation of intellectual property rights. As these groups and individuals become more brazen in their attempts to circumvent our laws, the more that our BOC personnel—from top to bottom—will find and prosecute them," aniya.
Ayon kay BOC-CIIS Director Verne Enciso, "The team found boxes of copyright-infringing goods from luxury brands like Dior to popular characters for kids such as Hello Kitty and Spiderman. Based on initial inventory of these counterfeit items, we peg the market value to be around P4.8 billion. I've seen my fair share of big-time operations, but amounts like this still astound me to this day."
Bilang partikular, ibinahagi rin ng BOC-CIIS director na ang iba't ibang palapag ng storage building ay nadiskubreng naglalaman ng smuggled disposable vapes, vape accessories, at branded garments at bags na may brands gaya ng Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Adidas, Nike, at NBA.
Mayroon ring school supplies ng mga kilalang karakter gaya ng Hello Kitty, Spiderman, at Disney characters, gayundin ng aerosols, cosmetics, tools, at iba pang general merchandise.
Habang nakabinbin pa naman ang final inventory ng mga goods ng assigned Customs examiner, pansamantala munang ipinadlak at sinelyuhan ng BOC team ang mga naturang storage areas.
Binigyang-diin naman ni Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy ang commitment ng BOC na protektahan ang mga hanggahan ng bansa at labanan ang pagpasok ng counterfeit items sa merkado, na maaaring magresulta sa irreparable damage sa retail industry.
"With each successful operation, I am confident that the agency is not only doing its mandate, but also saving our industry's reputation. The magnitude of this operation is impactful as this warehouse could very well be the source of many stores that sell fake goods. We are nipping the bud and rooting out the source of this corruption," aniya.
Binigyan lamang naman ng BOC ang mga warehouse owners at operators ng 15 araw, mula sa pagsilbi ng LOA, upang magsumite ng mga dokumento na magpapatunay na lehitimo ang pagkakaangkat sa mga subject imported goods at nakapagbayad ang mga ito ng tamang duties and taxes, alinsunod sa Section 224 ng Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Sakaling mabigong magpakita ng mga dokumento, maaari silang maharap sa mga kasong paglabag sa Section 117 (regulated importation and exportation) at Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) ng CMTA.
Mahaharap rin sila sa mga kasong may kaugnayan sa Republic Act 8293, o mas kilala sa tawag na Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines and Republic Act 10963, o ang Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law).
ARVIN SORIANO (Ll.B) – NEWS CONTRIBUTOR
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