Part of the agarwood that was confiscated by BOC-NAIA. (JERRY S. TAN)
ABOUT a kilo of Agarwood, a rare and highly-valued type of wood, was seized by as Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) during an attempt to smuggle it out of the country.
BOC-NAIA District Collector Atty. Yasmin Mapa said the seized outbound cargo contained Agarwood worth around P750,000 from a warehouse sa Pasay City.
The said kind of wood is considered as endangered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and selling it, specially outside of the country, is strictly prohibited.
It is said to be ‘in demand’ since it is being used in making perfumes, traditional items and luxury products.
NAIA- Customs Passengers operation chief Dr. Mark Jhon Almase said the confiscated cargo was first declared as ‘dried wood chips’ but when subjected to physical examination, it yielded agarwood.
Authorities did not name the sender and the country of destination of the said parcel, pending an investigation.
Meantime, Mapa said the seized wood have been turned over by the BOC- Enforcement Group to the DENR while a follow-up investigation is being conducted in connection with the violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines (PD 705) and Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (RA 9147) committed.
