Administrative penalties should be imposed on government officials who are involved in the dismissal of cases of cigarette smuggling, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said. Gatchalian said the stringent penalties should apply especially to state officials who were repeatedly negligent in...
The Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon to file a demurrer to evidence and dismiss his two graft charges due to alleged weakness of the prosecution's evidence. With the denial, Faeldon will be ordered to present his evidence during the...
BUTUAN CITY – The Bureau of Internal Revenue-10 this week spearheaded the destruction of smuggled cigarettes valued at P156 million in Northern Mindanao. BIR officials said the move is part of the nationwide crackdown against tax evasion and underscores their commitment to enforcing tax...
The Department of Agriculture’s Inspectorate and Enforcement (DAIE) unit seized smuggled agricultural commodities worth ₱2.83 billion in 2024, nearly a billion more than the previous year’s total. Over the 12-month period, the DAIE conducted a total of 71 operations. This...
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee (Facebook) AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee is prodding the government to "make an example" out of smugglers of agricultural products in order to discourage acts from such criminals. Lee issued the call...
An agricultural group is backing the government’s position to use the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage (AGES) Act in filing cases against the more than P200 million worth of frozen mackerel that were seized earlier by the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Manila. Signed into law by President...
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga Water Patrol Division seized 40,000 liters of smuggled diesel fuel worth P2 million in a boat at the Varadero de Cawit shipyard here on Saturday, March 1. ML Dino Saja Zsae de Guzman, BOC-Zamboanga port collector, said ML...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution calling on the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the rising incidence of luxury cars being smuggled into the country. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, said such incidents result to considerable revenue...
House Speaker Martin Romualdez has called for a tougher campaign against agricultural smuggling on the back of the Bureau of Customs' (BOC) confiscation of P85.1 billion worth of contraband last year. “Maganda ang ginagawa ng Customs sa paglaban sa smuggling, pero hindi tayo dapat huminto....
With over P85 billion added to government coffers through its anti-smuggling drive last year, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is set to launch an even more relentless campaign against illicit traders in 2025. “We are intensifying our crackdown on illicit trade to protect local industries, ensure food...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called out online shopping platforms, including Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop, Facebook Market, and Instagram, for allowing the sale of illicit tobacco and vapor products. At a recent Senate hearing, Gatchalian lamented that these online shopping applications have...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently assessing the rising prices of pork in local markets to determine whether profiteering within the value chain is a contributing factor. DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel noted that pork appears to be dealing with the same issue that led to high prices...
