SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Various brands of illicit cigarette worth P430 million were condemned by the Bureau of Customs in the Port of Subic (BOC-Subic) after they were declared as officially abandoned when importers failed to claim them within the prescribed period.

The shipment, contained in 40 10-foot container vans, were destroyed for two days on July 28 to 29 at the facility of Legacy 88 Recyclable Materials Collection Services in Santa Maria, Bulacan.

Subic District Collector Geniefelle Lagmay said the condemnation followed an official declaration of abandonment pursuant to Section 1129 (b) of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

Under the CMTA, imported shipment of cigarettes is deemed impliedly abandoned if the owner or consignee fails to lodge or file the goods declaration within 15 calendar days from the date of discharge of the last package, although this may be extended for another 15 calendar days upon a written request filed before the expiration of the original deadline.

The BOC said the abandoned cargo is automatically subject to forfeiture and destruction in order to prevent the unauthorized circulation or resale of forfeited goods, safeguard national tax revenues, protect legitimate commerce, and uphold public health standards.

​To guarantee complete transparency, statutory alignment, and environmental compliance, disposal of the cigarette was jointly supervised by key regulatory and intelligence agencies. These include the BOC and its intelligence and enforcement groups, ​Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry, ​National Tobacco Administration, ​and Bureau of Internal Revenue.

​The condemned items underwent a systematic physical destruction process involving shredding to break the packages apart, and then incineration to turn them into ash before eco-compliant recycling.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said his office is committed to the strict enforcement of rules and noted that the destruction of the contraband would prevent the unauthorized “recycling” of confiscated goods back into the market. – Taktikom News & Features