GOVERNMENT-seized yellow onions will be disposed within the week, said the Bureau of Plant Industry.
In an interview, Jose Diego E. Roxas, BPI officer-in-charge for Information and Computer Section said “ASAP naman po iyan. At this point pwede na siya i-shred. i-dodocument lang po namin saka po siya i-shred or rekta namin [ibabaon].” Roxas reiterated disposing of the yellow onions, which do not have phytosanitary permit, are not wasteful as they are a potential health risk.
BPI already took samples from the smuggled onions for testing.
“Kumuha na ng sample yung safety services division ng BPI and sa ngayon on-going pa po yung testing kung May kasamang contaminants yung sibuyas na naconfiscate,” he explained.
BPI along with Bureau of Customs, Department of Agriculture, Philippine National Police, and Coast Guard seized around 1,037 bags of yellow onions, Friday evening in Tondo, Manila.
BOC and PNP estimated the confiscated goods to be worth about P 1.9 million.
The market value of the onions, however, BPI says, is at about P 3.9 million.
