P16.6M UNCERTIFIED LIGHTERS SEIZED, CHINESE NABBED IN BULACAN WAREHOUSE RAID

BY KEVIN GALANG

PULILAN, Bulacan — Police on Thursday arrested a Chinese national and confiscated some P16.6 million worth of uncertified lighters in raid at a warehouse in Bgy. Sta. Peligrina, this town.

Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Regional Field Unit 3 (CIDG-RFU 3) launched the operation under “Oplan Megashopper” in line with the 7-Point Agenda of acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr.. 

Seized were 3,320 boxes containing 3,320,000 pieces of Yowant brand lighters without required Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) and Philippine Standard (PS) marks from the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI–BPS), which was in violation of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

Aside from the lighters, recovered from the warehouse were assorted delivery receipts, BIR and DTI registrations, and a digital video recorder.

The CIDG said the raid stemmed from information provided by a civilian informant about the storage and distribution of uncertified lighters in the area.

“The CIDG remains firm in its duty to protect the public against unlawful trade practices and to ensure that only safe and certified products reach Filipino consumers,” said CIDG RFU 3 regional chief Col. Grant A. Gollod.

The arrested warehouse manager and the seized items are now under police custody for documentation and further legal action.