The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has alerted the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to withhold the release of 19 container vans unloaded at Manila’s South Harbor after a spot inspection revealed a misdeclaration involving imported frozen mackerel.

BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said the shipments were declared to contain 550 metric tons (MT) of frozen fried taro sticks, taro sweet potato balls, and assorted frozen food products. 

The inspection, however, revealed that the cargo contained mackerel, which is in violation of importation regulations.

The shipment, which arrived on Jan. 21, has since been seized and detained.

“While these processed plant-based foods fall outside our mandate, our vigilant staff at Manila’s ports flagged the shipments due to the large volume of imports of a particular frozen product of plant origin,” said Panganiban. 

The BPI, an agency attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA), is limited to overseeing plant products.

The frozen mackerel falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), also under the DA, as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is attached to the Department of Health (DOH).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said this misdeclaration, if proven to be deliberate, is a blatant case of smuggling.

“This is a clear message to those who think they can get away with trifling with the law—we are watching you closely,” Laurel said in a statement.

“We are fully committed to enforcing the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act to protect consumers, safeguard our farmers, and preserve government revenues,” he added.

Signed in September last year, the law classifies smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, cartel operations, and other crimes involving agricultural and fishery products as economic sabotage.

Violators will face a fine of up to five times the value of the products involved in the crime and a penalty of life imprisonment.