At least 10 crew members of Philippines Airlines (PAL) have been stopped after attempting to bring home nearly 40 kilos of red onions and other fruits from the Middle East.
The PAL crew members were caught after passing through the mandatory “customs lane” for the checking of their luggage.
The cabin crew, from Riyadh were caught with 11.5 kilos of onions and six kilos of lemons with a total market value of $100. While flight attendants from Dubai were caught with 15.5 kilos of onions, 4.5 kilos of lemons and a kilo of strawberries and blueberries amounting to $150.
The commodities were immediately confiscated by the BOC upon arrival in the country.
A representative from PAL confirmed the incident, releasing a statement saying that they are in cooperation with BOC on its investigation.
“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.
We are fully cooperating with the the customs authorities on this matter. We reiterate to all our personnel the need to adhere strictly to customs regulations at all times,” stated PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna.
