MANILA: Authorities have seized smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit items worth PHP5.5 billion in a raid of 19 warehouses in Bulacan province, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Friday. In a news release, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) discovered the items during an inspection at warehouses inside the Green Miles Compound, Sitio Cabatuhan, Camalig in Meycauayan City on Thursday. The inspections yielded PHP5 billion worth of counterfeit goods such as gadgets and garments and PHP500 million worth of smuggled cigarettes 'Removing illicit, unsafe, and untested tobacco products from our markets is one of the many functions of the BOC. This safeguards our community and ensures that our consumers only have access to products that underwent rigorous standard testing,' Rubio added. The shipment's consignors and consignees can face charges for violating Section 117 (regulated importation and exportati on) and Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). They will also face charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines), RA 10963, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law), and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) Board Resolution No. 079-2005 (amended rules and regulations governing the exportation and importation of leaf tobacco and tobacco products). Pending the final inventory of the goods by Customs examiners, BOC Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy said the warehouses were temporarily padlocked and sealed to protect the seized items. 'Many of the items we found in the warehouses were ordinary devices and gadgets that Filipinos use in their daily lives. Our consumers must be certain of the quality and durability of these products but because these smugglers circumvent the law, we cannot gi ve our buyers the same protection that authorized and legitimate items provide,' he said. The operation was conducted in coordination with the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS)-MICP, Prosecution and Litigation Division-Bureau Action Team Against Smuggling (PLD-BATAS), Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Source: Philippines News Agency