Four hundred bundles of used clothing or “ukay-ukay” worth P2 million from Korea were recently seized at the Mindanao Container Terminal, the Bureau of Customs said Tuesday.
The shipment was consigned to Humility Trading and it arrived at the port on October 13, 2020 from Korea, Port of Cagayan de Oro District Collector John Simon said.
Aside from importing prohibited items into the Philippines, the shipment is also being investigated for misdeclaration, Simon added.
Instead of the declared items such as used blankets, pillowcases, and toys, the prohibited clothing items were discovered upon inspection on October 16.
“The shipment is now being investigated for possible violation of Section 1400 which is misdeclaration, misclassification and undervaluation in goods declaration in relation to Section 1113 of RA 10863 or Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” the district collector said.
The importation of used clothing is also prohibited under RA 4653 or An Act to Safeguard the Health of the People and Maintain the Dignity of the Nation by Declaring it a National Policy to Prohibit the Commercial Importation of Textile Articles Commonly Known as Used Clothing and Rags.
“A warrant of seizure and detention shall be issued as soon as the inventory of the items have been completed,” Simon furthered as he attributed the apprehension to “the combined efforts of the Port’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Enforcement and Security Services and Assessment Division.”