WITH JUST A name in its hands, the government might find it severely difficult, if at all, to run after a company that brought in P2 million worth of red onions from China via the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Occidental.
The Department of Agriculture said it coordinated with the Securities and Exchange Commission database and its older system, the SEC Express System, but found no data about Lantix Consumer Groups Trading, a company said to be based in Binondo which imported the 25 metric tons of red onions.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. vowed to pursue the company to charge it for violations of the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act.
‘[F]or violations of the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act … The law classifies the smuggling of agricultural goods worth over ₱250,000—excluding rice—as economic sabotage.’
ACCREDITATION
The law classifies the smuggling of agricultural goods worth over ₱250,000—excluding rice—as economic sabotage; and non-importers are further required to obtain Bureau of Customs accreditation and submit financial statements or bank certifications to prove their capacity to pay duties and taxes.
But with only a company name and no general information sheet on file with the SEC, the DA may find it difficult to track down the smugglers, according to a report of Bilyonaryo.
To import legally, companies must be registered with the SEC (for corporations), the Department of Trade and Industry (for single proprietors), or the Cooperative Development Authority (for coops). They must also secure business permits, BIR registration, a valid TIN, and an import clearance certificate.
Importers are further required to obtain Bureau of Customs accreditation and submit financial statements or bank certifications to prove their capacity to pay duties and taxes.
But with only a company name and no general information sheet on file with the SEC, the DA may find it difficult to track down the smugglers.
MISDECLARED
The shipment was seized on May 26– declared as frozen goods like egg noodles, croissant dough, pizza dough, buns and spring rolls– earlier seized by the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Bureau of Customs as BPI said it had not issued any sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for it.
The BPI-Plant Quarantine Service in Cagayan de Oro asked the BOC to withhold the release of the container van for further inspection. Upon inspection done on June 11, the shipment was found to contain fresh red onions and not the items enumerated in the manifest.
Laurel said onion importations would only be authorized in August for white and October for red, upon release of final data on inventory and those to be harvested late this June.
One thing clear is that we have not released any import permits since early 2025, which means that all arriving onions are illegal and smuggled, Laurel said.
Instead of arresting vendors, the government will seek their cooperation to trace the source of the smuggled onions, Laurel said.