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Warning out on smuggled Peking duck
by Joel Zurbano
The Customs bureau has stepped up the campaign against smuggling of poultry products as the Christmas season draws near.
Deputy Commissioner Filomeno Vicencio Jr. issued the order after Rep. Nicanor Briones of Agap party-list uncovered that the market was being flooded with smuggled frozen Peking duck.
Importers of meat and poultry products are required to secure clearance from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Briones said that some Chinese restaurant stocked up on smuggled Peking duck as demand rose steadily. The imported Peking duck could be infected with the bird flu virus and thus posed a health hazard, according to the lawmaker.
He expressed fear of the possibility that bird flu virus could spread because of smuggling of poultry products.
The lawmaker also appealed to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez to stop the smuggling of agricultural products and make the campaign their top priority.
But Vicencio said the bureau is constantly monitoring the entry of unsafe goods to the country. ?We are working closely with other government agencies, especially with the processing of regulated importations such as frozen meat and poultry products.
Customs personnel are on alert status to ensure that ?undesirable goods? are kept at bay, Vicencio said.
Poultry products are among shipments placed under tight scrutiny. The others are plastic toys, gun replicas, substandard Christmas lights, among others, particularly those whose ports of origin belong to ?high-risk countries.? ?All the goods that came from any country that are considered a threat to the safety and health of the public will be closely monitored,? Vicencio stressed.
Alvarez, for his part, ordered placing all refrigerated containers under mandatory x-ray scanning to prevent misdeclaration of goods and other forms of technical smuggling.
The Customs chief also advised importers to secure product registration, and license to import and operate before bringing the articles into the country.
by Joel Zurbano
The Customs bureau has stepped up the campaign against smuggling of poultry products as the Christmas season draws near.
Deputy Commissioner Filomeno Vicencio Jr. issued the order after Rep. Nicanor Briones of Agap party-list uncovered that the market was being flooded with smuggled frozen Peking duck.
Importers of meat and poultry products are required to secure clearance from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Briones said that some Chinese restaurant stocked up on smuggled Peking duck as demand rose steadily. The imported Peking duck could be infected with the bird flu virus and thus posed a health hazard, according to the lawmaker.
He expressed fear of the possibility that bird flu virus could spread because of smuggling of poultry products.
The lawmaker also appealed to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez to stop the smuggling of agricultural products and make the campaign their top priority.
But Vicencio said the bureau is constantly monitoring the entry of unsafe goods to the country. ?We are working closely with other government agencies, especially with the processing of regulated importations such as frozen meat and poultry products.
Customs personnel are on alert status to ensure that ?undesirable goods? are kept at bay, Vicencio said.
Poultry products are among shipments placed under tight scrutiny. The others are plastic toys, gun replicas, substandard Christmas lights, among others, particularly those whose ports of origin belong to ?high-risk countries.? ?All the goods that came from any country that are considered a threat to the safety and health of the public will be closely monitored,? Vicencio stressed.
Alvarez, for his part, ordered placing all refrigerated containers under mandatory x-ray scanning to prevent misdeclaration of goods and other forms of technical smuggling.
The Customs chief also advised importers to secure product registration, and license to import and operate before bringing the articles into the country.
