The first security warehouse and auction house in the Philippines, where seized items from various ports in Northern Mindanao will be stored, was established by the Bureau of Customs in Cagayan de Oro City.
The bureau inaugurated the security warehouse located in Barangay Tablon on Aug. 31. It is tagged as the first of its kind in the country.
It will house and secure seized items from various ports of entry in Northern Mindanao, namely Port of Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz Subport, Iligan Subport, and Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
According to the bureau, the facility aims to centralize the inventory of seized goods such as minerals, cigarettes, clothing products, cars, and other goods subject for condemnation or auction.
“The establishment of a security warehouse and auction house will improve the collection of government revenues from seized goods and will also help ease the process of Customs auction,” the bureau said.
The Customs bureau also revealed that for the first time, they will hold an online auction this month to promote faceless transactions among interested bidders.
“Amidst the pandemic, the Bureau of Customs is continuously adopting measures to improve collection of lawful revenues as it gears to be a stronger revenue-generating agency to fund government projects and programs in this time of crisis,” District Collector John Simon of Port of Cagayan de Oro said.