The warning from the BOC

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The Bureau of Customs has issued a stern warning to businessmen or entities who are planning to bring into the country firecrackers, firearms or even toy guns, especially now that the holiday season is approaching.

The BOC stressed that it has tightened its watch on what it calls “anti-social goods” which could cause injuries or even death to those who acquire them. The entry of such goods can only be allowed with the issuance of permits by the Firearm and Explosives Division of the BOC, the agency further said.

“Don't even think about it,” the BOC warning stated. It added that it has embarked on a year-round monitoring of the entry of illegal goods into the country, especially from China and other “high risk” countries to ensure that no substandard or dangerous products can enter the local market.

The BOC is probably recalling incidents in previous holiday seasons when such substandard items had caused accidents that maimed or killed merrymakers, or even caused deadly fires. Much of the latter had been blamed on badly manufactured Christmas lights, for instance, that had been the cause of several fires breaking out, the most notorious of which was the one in the high-end subdivision in Makati where the house of no less than the Speaker of the House of Representatives caught fire from what is believed to be a defective Christmas light series, and burned to death his teenaged daughter.

The problem is that those products, when they do get into the market, easily outsell locally produced ones because of their very low prices. And, if you ask the ordinary Filipino, he will probably tell you that he doubts whether the Bureau of Customs, as strong as its language is now, can fully prevent the entry of such items into the country. It has mentioned the need for permits from their agency, but can we totally trust them to enforce the law and admit only those that pass stringent inspection and testing, and not have their judgment blurred by the color of the importers' money?

Strong words are good to hear, but the public must be assured that this bureau and its people are truly implementing the law and are placing the safety and interest of their countrymen on top of their priorities.*