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The Bureau of Customs intercepted on November 1 a wing van containing bundles of used clothing or ukay-ukay worth an estimated P5.1 million at Matnog Port, Sorsogon
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The used clothing was transported from Quezon City and bound for Davao City
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Both van and used clothing were turned over to the custody of BOC Port of Legazpi
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted on November 1 a wing van containing bundles of used clothing or ukay-ukay worth an estimated P5.1 million at Matnog Port, Sorsogon.
Based on the sales invoice found by the joint team of BOC-Port of Legazpi and Philippine Coast Guard-Sorsogon operatives, the used clothing was transported from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City, and was bound for Davao City, the customs bureau said in a statement.
The van and used clothing were subsequently hauled and turned over to the custody of BOC Port of Legazpi. The customs examiner that conducted an inventory of the items said there were 449 bundles of used clothing.
BOC noted that importation or transit of used clothing violates Republic Act (RA) No. 4653 or “An Act to Safeguard the Health of the People and Maintain the Dignity of the Nation by Declaring It a National Policy to Prohibit the Commercial Importation of Textile Articles Commonly Known as Used Clothing and Rags.”
The importation also violates certain provisions of RA 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, particularly Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation), Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture), and Section 1401 (Unlawful Importation or Exportation).