Customs seizes P556M worth of fake designer's clothes and bags from China

The Bureau of Customs on Thursday confiscated P556 million worth of counterfeit products of famous clothing brands and designers bags, including NIke, H&M, Prada, Burberry, Onesimus and Una Rosa that were shipped from China.

 

In an e-mailed statement, the bureau said aside from foreign brands, it also impounded imitations of local brands, which was a serious concern for the BOC.

 

"What is alarming to us is that even local brands are victims of counterfeiting which will cause more harm to our entrepreneurs, causing them to become unprofitable and unproductive, which, in the end, may threaten hundreds of jobs," said Willie Tolentino, BOC's  Enforcement and Security Service director.

 

The bureau seized the two container vans at the Manila International Container Port.

 

The first shipment, a 20-foot container van that arrived last March at MICP from China, contained about 5,000 pieces of faked apparel brands that included “Nike,” “Adidas,” “US Polo,” “Lee,” “Aeropostale” and “H&M.” 

 

The shipment consigned to Bangladesh Business Corporation was examined last week. The consignee declared the goods as unbranded T-shirts, cargo short pants, leggings and plastic slippers, the bureau said.

 

The second shipment, a 40-foot container that arrived last May at MICP from China, was also examined last week. 

 

Consignee NSGV Trading denied it owns the shipment of over 15,960 counterfeit luxury bags carrying the brands "Hermes," "Tory Burch," "Prada," "Celine," "Michael Kors," "Lacoste," and "Burberry."

 

Also found in the shipment were counterfeit “Fitflop Fleur” sandals, “Ray-Ban” eyewear, and clothes and footwear bearing the local brands “Onesimus” and “Una Rosa.” 

 

"It is not about the value of the actual goods in question here, but the negative impact of counterfeit goods to legitimate businesses in the country,” Tolentino said. 

 

Subsequently, the knockoffs will be destroyed, according to the bureau. 

 

"The consignees and their Customs brokers are also under investigation for smuggling-related cases as well as violation of the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines," the statement read.

 

From January to June 2014, the inter-agency National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), which includes the Customs Bureau, seized counterfeit products worth over P6.8 billion – a 215- percent year-on-year increase in terms of the value of confiscated goods. – Rouchelle Dinglasan/VS, GMA News