PASG cordons off Navotas warehouse containing smuggled seafood

(Updated 12 NN) MANILA, Philippines - Anti-smuggling operatives cordoned off Monday a warehouse in Navotas City supposedly used as a storage area for smuggled seafood and meat products. Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) head Antonio Villar Jr said the owners of the shipment, contained in a 40-footer container van, face charges of economic sabotage. "Nagtataka ako paano lumabas, sa Customs galing ito (What I cannot understand is how this container van got through Customs)," Villar said in an interview on dzXL radio before proceeding to the site. He said his men had placed the firm under surveillance for some time. Citing initial reports reaching him, he identified the owners of the shipment as Willie and Margaret Lu. On the other hand, Villar said he will recommend to higher-ups that Customs authorities conduct "100 percent examination" of containers. "Siguro mungkahi natin pwede pagtiyagaan 100% exam ng containers ... Ito wala pang 30 mins tinitingnan ang harapan di nakita ang sa likod (We will recommend that Customs examiners do a 100-percent inspection of container vans ... A partial examination may be quicker but a lot of contraband goes through unnoticed)," he said. In a separate interview, Villar said the confiscated seafood and meat products have not been quarantined or inspected for possible infectious bacteria. "Walang pinagdaanan ito (na quarantine). Usually destruction ang gagawin dito dahil kapag pinakain natin ito na wala namang quarantine, hindi natin masabi (It did not undergo quarantine. The shipment will probably be destroyed because we cannot tell what it can bring to people who would consume them)," Villar said. The PASG head, however, said that if testing would show that the sea foods and meat are safe for human consumption, they would be distributed to people living in slum areas so as to accord them the chance of tasting food commonly delegated for the consumption of well-to-do families. "Marami tayong mga kababayang mahihirap na hindi pa nakatitikim nito. Kung ma-check naman at tsaka puwede namang kainin, siguro sa mga depressed area (dadalhin) para makatikim naman ang mga kababayan nating mahihirap at para makatikim naman sila ng kinakain ng mayayaman," Villar said. (There are many poor families in the country who have not tasted food like this yet. If ever we find out that these are safe to consume, we'll bring this to the depressed area so people there may get to taste food usually eaten by wealthy families) Villar added that they have yet to determine when the Solid Sea Products started carrying out its 'illegal' operations in Metro Manila, pending further investigation of the anti-smuggling group. A GMA-7 television report said the imported products were believed to be from China, and may be worth P150 million. Its contents reportedly included prawn, shark fin and meat. The owner of the cargo, Solid Sea Products, said through a spokesman that the cargo was legitimate. The spokesman added Solid Sea Products supplies seafood to restaurants. - with reports from Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV