DA vows action on PHP202M misdeclared fish shipment

On Monday, March 3, the Department of Agriculture vowed to pursue those responsible for a PHP202 million shipment of frozen fish from China that was declared as plant-based commodities.

During a spot check at South Harbor, Port of Manila, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the Bureau of Customs and FDA will hold these perpetrators accountable and bring them to justice.

The misdeclared shipment arrived on January 21 and contained frozen mackerel and round scad disguised as fried taro sticks, sweet potato balls, and assorted food items.

Tiu Laurel warned that if smugglers manage to sell this goods in the market, they likely won't lower prices and no one would benefit from it.

The director-general of FDA assured that these modus operandi will not be tolerated under the new Anti-Economic Sabotage Act for cases exceeding PHP200 million.

BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio revealed that the shipments were consigned to single proprietorship companies, and the DA is working closely with BOC under an ongoing memorandum of agreement.

The FDA is verifying whether the certificate of product registrations presented by importers are legitimate before determining if the frozen products are safe for human consumption.