Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian was among the Cabinet officials who joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday (December 14) as the chief executive inspected the Php178.5 million worth of confiscated mackerel at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in Tondo, Manila.
Around 21 containers with tons of frozen mackerel were shipped into the country last October and were seized by Bureau of Customs (BoC) authorities for bypassing the necessary import procedures, and lacking the required sanitary and phytosanitary permits.
The confiscated goods were then repurposed as the Department of Agriculture (DA) instructed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to perform laboratory tests to assess the frozen mackerel, and which were later marked safe for human consumption.
Following the inspection, the Presidential team headed to the Baseco Port Area to distribute some of the confiscated mackerel to 21,000 households from Barangay 649 in Tondo, Manila.
Other high ranking officials present at the inspection and distribution were Department of Agriculture (DA) Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Bureau of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.
