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World
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| SBMA, Customs destroy P30-million fake imported cigarettes21 September 2004 11 41 Source »»»Reynaldo Avelino, Port of Subic deputy Customs collector for operations, said the 246 boxes (14,760 rims) of fake imported 555 Filter King cigarettes and 599 boxes (35,940 rims) of blue-seal Marlboro cigarettes were destroyed using a mobile shredding machine. Avelino disclosed that the cigarette shipment that originated in China was consigned to Goldlink International (Subic) Inc., a SBMA-accredited investor which has denied involvement on the shipment. SBMA Chairman Felicito Payumo dispatched (Ret.) Col. Antonio de Guzman, head of the SBMA Law Enforcement Department to cordon-off the area where the cigarettes are impounded, and to ensure that the process would be safe and would not cause health hazards at the former Naval Supply Depot. “We want to make sure that every piece of those fake cigarettes would be destroyed, and we are sending a message to unscrupulous businessmen who would want to illegally exploit the free port status of Subic,” Payumo said. Avelino added that in June, a 20-foot container van containing the fake cigarettes was shipped to Subic from China, but was later confiscated after Customs inspectors found out that it was loaded with fake branded cigarettes. Representatives from Philip Morris Philippines Inc., manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes, confirmed after a series of laboratory testing, that the confiscated cigarettes are fake. The destruction of the fake cigarettes was based on the guidelines provided in Section 157 of Republic Act 8293, or the Intellectual Property Rights Act, which states that “infringed goods must be disposed of outside the channels of commerce to avoid any harm caused to the right holder.” SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya de la Llana said that after the shredding, the tobacco debris will be dumped into the SBMA landfill area, where it will be sprinkled with water before it is finally buried. The Customs also invited representatives from different government agencies, including from the Commission on Audit to witness or supervise the destruction and condemnation process of the confiscated goods. |
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