THE Bureau of Plant and Industry (BPI) said 10 flight crew members of Philippine Airlines (PAL) may face disciplinary sanctions after they were caught bringing in undeclared fruits and vegetables from Riyadh and Dubai.
The crew members were found to have brought in 11 kilos of onions, six kilos of lemons, and one kilo of strawberries and blueberries on January 10, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said.
BPI said an import permit and phytosanitary permit need to be presented when bringing in agricultural items.
However, the 10 flight crew members were not able to present these documents.
The crew members allegedly attempted to destroy the agricultural products when they learned that these would be confiscated.
PAL said it is already conducting a probe into the incident.
In a statement, PAL spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said “We are investigating the incident involving ten crew members who were found to be carrying undeclared vegetables and fruits in their baggage after flying in from Riyadh and Dubai last January 10.”
“Philippine Airlines does not condone any violation of customs regulations. We will impose the appropriate disciplinary sanctions subject to the results of the investigations,” she added.
“We are fully cooperating with the customs authorities on this matter. We reiterate to all our personnel the need to adhere strictly to customs regulations at all times,” Villaluna said.
