BOC awarded for ‘exceptional efforts’ vs. counterfeit shoes

THE BUREAU of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday said it received recognition for its confiscation of over a billion-peso worth of counterfeit footwear.

This came after the BOC apprehended around PHP1.56 billion worth of fake Nike shoes.

In a statement, BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio vowed to continue protecting the integrity of global brands in the country through its campaign against "intellectual property rights infringement."

“We will continue to strengthen our efforts in combating nefarious counterfeiting activities and ensure the enforcement of intellectual property rights," Rubio said.

The BOC particularly expressed its gratitude to the Nike Asia Pacific Brand Protection Team for its recognition.

BOC Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy, however, said the BOC's work is yet to do its job to hold its manufacturers liable.

“While this award principally gives credit to the hardworking men and women of the bureau, it similarly serves as added motivation that further ignites the bureau to go after these manufacturers of counterfeit goods," he said.

The BOC ensured the implementation of strict border measures to prevent the perpetrators from making the country a "haven of counterfeit goods."

Wildlife smuggling

Meanwhile, the BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) said it intercepted a misdeclared parcel which turned out to be tarantulas at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) on Monday.

It was supposed to be shipped outside the country with no permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In a statement, the BOC-NAIA said the four heads of tarantula were confiscated after being declared as "snacks-sweet salted fish."

"The outbound parcel was sent by a sender from Caloocan City to a recipient in Seoul, Korea via Express Mail Service of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost)," it said.

The BOC-NAIA then turned over the seized tarantulas to the DENR for safekeeping and monitoring.

Authorities are ramping up procedures to conduct an investigation and file charges against the sender.

It will also secure the "filing of corresponding seizure and forfeiture proceedings" for the alleged violation of the Republic Act (RA) 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) concerning RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. (Stephanie Sevillano)