As part of the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) commitment to border security, on November 22, 2021, the Port of NAIA seized illegally imported spiders in the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC), Pasay City.
Records show that the seized spiders were imported from Poland, and consigned to an addressee from Olongapo City. The shipment was concealed in a postal envelope with scraps of paper and declared as “origami”. Through X-ray scanning and thorough physical examination, the subject shipment was found to contain 10 pieces of smuggled spiders by BOC Personnel. The shipment was estimated to have a value of Php 75,000.00.
Upon claiming the subject smuggled spiders, the claimant was arrested by the BOC-NAIA Enforcement and Security Service Environmental Protection Compliance Division (ESS-EPCD) in violation of Section 1401 in relation to Section 117 of RA 10863 also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and RA 9147 otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The claimant has been turned over to the Philippine National Police for inquest proceedings.
On the other hand, the seized spiders were immediately turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit (DENR WTMU) pursuant to Customs Administrative Order No. 10-2020.
In her statement, Port of NAIA District Collector, Carmelita M. Talusan, assured the public of the Port’s continuous efforts against the smuggling of illegal wildlife. She also lauded the unwavering efforts of BOC NAIA personnel that led to the seizure of 10 wildlife seizures for 2021.
To date a total of 1,010 wildlife species have been intercepted by the Port. Among these were species such as beetles, tarantulas, centipedes and ornithoctonus black spiders.
BOC NAIA has also been recognized by DENR for its wildlife protection initiatives for three (3) consecutive years and by different international organizations like Traffic Southeast Asia for intercepting illegal wildlife trade in 2019.
The Port of NAIA, under the direction of BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, shall diligently protect the country’s borders against the illegal wildlife trade and promote the nation’s environmental protection efforts.
