"I can’t say if there are cartels, but aside from production and importation, it seems there are forces controlling (the supply). I don’t know if those are called cartels," a DA official told House members.
(Photo courtesy of BOC) MANILA - Authorities seized smuggled agricultural products worth PHP9 million from a warehouse in Valenzuela City last week, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Wednesday. In a statement, Customs Deputy Commissioner Raniel Ramiro said a joint team from the Manila International Container Port-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (MICP-CIIS) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Task Force Aduana led the operation at the warehouse owned by Morehouse Marketing in Barangay Ugong on October 8. The team discovered 8,000 sacks of various agricultural products, including red onions, ginger, and mung beans, upon inspection of the warehouse after presenting the Letter of Authority (LOA) signed by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero. "This is not a one- or two-time thing. This is a continuous effort from the bureau and the MICP-CIIS. The goal is not to allow even one sack of agricultural products to enter the country illegally because we cannot sat