By Henry Empeño | July 8, 2025

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Department of Agriculture (DA) seized 31 container vans of smuggled agricultural commodities worth hundreds of millions of pesos at the Port of Subic on Tuesday, July 8, after finding they lacked import permits in violation of food safety and customs regulations.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. led the inspection here by various agencies of 10 container vans that were among the 52 vans flagged in Subic on suspicion they are loaded with smuggled agricultural products.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it flagged a total of 52 container vans—not 59 as initially reported, as seven of these were the subject of double alerts.

Of the 52 flagged containers, 21 have been released after thorough examination and clearance from the DA, the BOC said.

The DA said in a statement that the 10 inspected vans, all imported from China, were found to contain with frozen mackerel, fresh carrots, and yellow onions. However, import permits for said agricultural products “were notably absent,” the DA said.

Five of the inspected containers were consigned to 1024 Consumer Goods Trading and were loaded with frozen mackerel. The remaining five containers—two filled with fresh yellow onions and three with carrots—were consigned to Berches Consumers Goods Trading.

Laurel said the products will be subjected to testing to determine their safety for human consumption. “If found unfit, they will be destroyed immediately. Our priority is the protection of public health and the livelihood of our farmers and fisherfolk,” he added.

The DA said the 10 inspected vans contained goods estimated to be worth P100 million. The entire value of the 31 seized containers “could reach several hundreds of millions of pesos” and could be the biggest single seizure under the newly enacted Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, the DA added.

Aside from the 31 containers, three more were seized on Tuesday after alerts were issued by the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) Office.

The three containers consigned to Queenstar Industry Consumer Trading were loaded with carrots and frozen mackerel that also lacked permits.

Tuesday’s operation was conducted by the DA-IE in coordination with BOC-Subic led by Collector Noel Estanislao. The inspection followed alert requests issued by the DA-IE and was carried out with witnesses from the Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The DA said it has filed 15 alert requests starting June, leading to the seizure of 76 container vans suspected of being loaded with smuggled goods. It added that 59 of these vans arrived via the Port of Subic. 