SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Tuesday led the inspection of 10 container vans suspected of carrying smuggled agricultural products worth P100 million, potentially the biggest single seizure under the newly enacted Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.

The inspected vans — all imported from China — were found loaded with frozen mackerel, fresh carrots, and yellow onions, which require permits under Philippine law but were shipped without the necessary regulatory clearances.

“This is outright illegal. These shipments violated food safety and customs rules. We will have them tested, and if they pose a risk to public health, they will be destroyed immediately,” said Secretary Tiu Laurel. “We are serious about protecting both public health and the livelihood of our local farmers and fisherfolk.”

The 10 container vans are part of a broader operation that flagged 52 containers for inspection at the Port of Subic, according to the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Of these, 21 have been cleared and released, while the remaining 31 containers, including the 10 inspected, are under further scrutiny. The BOC corrected its earlier report of 59 containers, citing double alerts on seven entries.

The BOC said three more containers consigned to Queenstar Industry Consumer Trading were also seized after they were found to be carrying carrots and frozen mackerel without the required permits — violating the Food Safety Act of 2013 and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

Five of the 10 newly inspected containers were consigned to 1024 Consumer Goods Trading and contained frozen mackerel, while the other five — filled with yellow onions and carrots — were consigned to Berches Consumer Goods Trading. Each 40-footer container van can hold around 25 tons of cargo, which could push the value of the total 31-container haul to several hundred million pesos.

The inspection was carried out by the Department of Agriculture’s Inspectorate and Enforcement Office (DA-IE) in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) under the One DA Border Control Team (1-DABCT) framework. Representatives from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) also took part in the operation.

Since June, the DA has filed 15 alert requests that led to the seizure of 76 container vans suspected of smuggling agricultural goods — 59 of which arrived through the Port of Subic.