The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has put on hold the entry of P275-million worth of China-made watches, bags, and other branded fashion accessories at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

In an interview, Customs Intellectual Property Unit head and lawyer Willie Sarmiento said when they inspected the container of 743 carton sandals, they found out that the shipment was loaded with pirated goods.

“We will issue for sure a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) anytime against these fake products then a seizure case will proceed. After the hearing, it will be forfeited in favor of the government,” he said.

Sarmiento said they recommended the seizure and detention of the counterfeit items in violation of Section 2530 of Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) and Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

The counterfeit goods onboard Mell Sembanong from China were reportedly consigned to a certain Portwings Trading of Manila . BoC earlier issued an alert order against its shipment and they were examined on June 25.

“After the examination, we requested the representatives of the broker or consignee to produce documents that the branded items found inside the containers are authentic. However, they were not able to produce the said documents,” he said.

The Indorsement signed by Sarmiento and other Customs officials was forwarded to the District Collector of MICP, lawyer Adelina Molina for immediate issuance of seizure order.

The container van was mostly loaded with 6,340 pieces of Hello Kitty items ranging from back packs, lunch boxes, tumblers, wallets, umbrellas, sleep wears, pencil cases, undergarments, and stationary.

Also found were 3,146 pieces of Louis Vuitton wallets, bags and pouches, 3,078 pieces of Gucci bags and watches, 240 rolls of electrical wire, 10 boxes of computer printer ink, two boxes of electronic microscope, among others.

Sarmiento said the pirated goods and fashion accessories will be either shredded or destroyed as the bureau’s way of condemning them once they are forfeited in favor of the government.