BUREAU of Customs (BOC) authorities at the Port of NAIA announced the interception of three outbound parcels of the rare ‘Agarwood’ worth more than P9.3 million.
NAIA District Collector Alexandra Lumontad, in her report to Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, said the interception happened last September 10 at a warehouse facility in Pasay City after personnel from the X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP) detected “suspicious images” from the packages misdeclared as ‘dried Alingatong wood chips,’ a proven natural treatment for enlarged prostate or prostatitis.
She added the three parcels have an aggregate weight of 12.42 kilograms.
Lumontad said they have coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the proper disposition of the Agarwood, which has many medicinal, spiritual, and perfumery uses. It is also locally known as “Lapnisan.”
The sender and destination abroad of the parcels were not disclosed in the report, however.