MANILA, Philippines ? Cashing in on boxing champion and Rep. Manny Pacquiao?s popularity and goodwill, a still unidentified individual tried to smuggle goods at the Port of Manila (PoM), using a spurious foundation supposedly under the boxer?s name.
Customs officials Eric Albano, assistant chief of the Customs Intelligence Division and Mitchell Verdeflor, assistant head of operations of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), immediately impounded the shipment, allegedly consigned to a Manny Pacquiao Foundation.
?The foundation was registered as Emmanuel Pacquaio and based only in U.S,? said Albano. ?I, myself verified the foundation and it was not existent in General Santos,? he added.
Last July, 2×40 cargoes loaded with used clothing arrived at the Manila Port with the ?Manny Pacquiao Foundation? as the recipient. The P5 million worth of shipments were declared as relief goods.
It would have been an easy sailing for the shipment, but the consignee?s name aroused suspicion.
