THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) condemned some P500 million worth of various signature imported products and other goods for violation of the Intellectual Rights Property Law. These goods were destroyed on Saturday through crushing and shredding at the RCU Waste Management Facility in Valenzuela City. The event was shown at the BoC’s Facebook live program and witnessed by Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla and Port of Manila District Collector Michael Angelo Vargas, and representatives from brand owners of Unilever, Prada and Gucci. Vargas said the condemnation process was in line with the public interest and transparency on the disposition of seized and forfeited goods and to protect the public from health hazards from fake products, and in accordance with Republic Act (RA) 10863 or “Customs was Modernization and Tariff Act.” Vargas appealed to the public not to patronize counterfeit items because of the health risks to the user. For his part, Maronilla reiterated the bureau’s commitment to remain transparent in the performance of its mandate and warned errant importers against attempts to circumvent RA 8293 or the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines,” which classify counterfeit goods as prohibited.
