The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Philippines has announced that no charges will be filed against all 10 flight attendants who brought 27kg of onions, 10.5kg of lemons, 1kg of strawberries and blueberries, and other undeclared agricultural products to the Philippines as “pasalubong”.
BOC spokesman Arnaldo Dela Torre Jr. explained that Presidential Decree No. 1433 or the Plant Quarantine Decree of 1978 only provides for the confiscation of agricultural products brought into the country for personal consumption.
However, Dela Torre emphasized that bringing in agricultural products to the country without sanitary and phytosanitary clearance certificates and a permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry is prohibited, regardless of the quantity.
“Ang normal na procedure natin, kapag pina-implement po iyong Presidential Decree No. 1433 ay confiscation lang ang ginagawa natin. Kapag doon po naman sa pagkakaso, sa ngayon wala pong ganoon,” he said in a public briefing.
The incident occurred on January 10, when authorities intercepted nearly 40 kilos of onions and fruits from the Middle East, which were brought into the country without necessary permits by 10 flight crew members.
While the BOC will not file a complaint against the PAL crew for the agricultural products they brought home for pasalubong, Dela Torre said that they may take action regarding the “behavior” of the group.
In an earlier statement, the BOC said the flight attendants “exhibited unruly behaviors by stomping/stepping and destroying/crushing the said products without permits in public view upon being informed of their violations.”
“‘Yung legal na aksiyon na gagawin ng Bureau of Customs at ng quarantine office ay with regards doon sa behavior, doon sa pagkakataon o insidente na kung saan ay mayroong hindi magandang nangyari,” he said.
This announcement has followed senators expressing dismay that the PAL crew members were being put in hot water for bringing onions to the Philippines as pasalubong, pointing out the supposed double standards that authorities purportedly have shown for punishing the airline personnel while letting big-time establishments go free.
