The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) has destroyed about P3 billion worth of bogus beauty and personal care goods seized earlier this year in Tondo, Manila.
The seized fake goods, which included lotions, perfumes, shampoos, makeup products, and a labeling machine bearing the brand names Giorgio Armani, Dior, Olay, Nivea, Cetaphil, and other well-known brands, were crushed, poured, and shredded on September 19 at a BOC-accredited condemnation facility in San Pedro, Laguna.
The fake goods, which were confiscated for violation of the country’s Intellectual Property Code, were among those intercepted during a warehouse raid in November 2017 at Unit 8-1, 10-A, 10-B, Vicente Tower, 1275 Dagupan St., Tondo, Manila by agents of BOC’s Enforcement and Security Service. The operation stemmed from an investigation conducted by BOC agents as well as surveillance of the warehouse, BOC said in a statement.
The bogus items were seized on February 22, 2018 and pronounced forfeited on June 27 by the Office of the District Collector of the Port of Manila.
The fake goods violated Section 1113 (Property Subject to Seizure and Forfeiture) (f) and (l), and Section 118 (Prohibited Importation and Exportation) (f) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to Section 166 (Goods Bearing Infringing Marks or Trade Names) of Republic Act No. 8293, or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
BOC noted that under Section 1146 (Disposition of Prohibited Goods) of the CMTA, all prohibited goods like counterfeit goods shall be destroyed.
“Our crackdown against fake products is going well. However, the public must be made aware that continued patronage and exposure to counterfeit items pose health risks to the user. The items we destroyed today bear the same brand but the quality and the materials or chemicals used are different. These are substandard products and did not undergo quality control and safety inspection,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said.
He further noted that the proliferation of fake products continues to undermine the operations of legitimate brand owners in the country.
“We are receiving reports from brand owners that are greatly affected by the proliferation of fake items. We must promote healthy competition in the market,” Lapeña said.
