Government officials within the Philippines are offended that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) are losing time and resources making a big present out of busting airline crews for smuggling 15.5 kilogrammes of onions into the country. What do Report need officials to be specializing in – medication, weapons, and other contraband? No, simply BIGGER onion smugglers.
The BOC came underneath this stunning hearth for charging and “shaming” a gaggle of airline crew members who had been found making an attempt to sneak a stash of onions into the Philippines. The incident, which concerned 10 Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight staff, triggered quite a stir among senators who criticised the BOC for their handling of the situation.
According to Coconuts Philippines, the airline staff had been being seemed into after customs officers found that they have been carrying “unauthorized” quantities of onions, in addition to other fruit and veggies from the Middle East when their baggage went via the mandatory customs lane.
Senators expressed outrage for the general public busting of low-value smugglers when apparently there are large onion-smuggling cartels on the free, resulting in a Philippine Senate committee hearing on this onion crisis. Insider lambasted the BOC’s small bust during the listening to.
“The PAL crew received arrested for the smuggling of onions…2 kilograms, 1 kilogram, with a worth of US$100 to US$150. But we’ve hundreds of thousands price of onions that have managed to get smuggled past us. Are we really going after this, but we let big-time cartels, smugglers, and protectors get away?”
Senator Raffy Tulfo went even further, accusing the Philippine authorities to be corrupt and in bed with Big Onion.
“Why did you apprehend them? Go after the big-time [ones]. Perhaps they’re all the time hanging out in your office. This is unacceptable… you should be ashamed of yourselves. You even humiliated the airline crew who just needed to bring pasalubong [a Filipino tradition of bringing house gifts after travel] to their households.”
The BOC charged the airline staff with violating three customs and plant quarantine legal guidelines. They confiscated the unauthorized onions and different goods.
The incident has sparked a debate on social media under the hashtag #OnionGate. But there’s extra serious reasoning behind what appears a silly debate over onions. Time journal reports that hovering inflation has pushed the price of onions – a staple in cooking within the Philippines – up so excessive it is double or even triple the value of meat..