BEIJING: The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized disassembled units of Nokia 3310 phones and chargers valued at P880,000, supposedly brought into the country without imports papers earlier this month. The 400 disassembled units of Nokia 3310 phones and chargers were discovered in five cartons during an X-Ray inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The shipments items were flown in from Guangzhou, China, the bureau said on Monday.
The passengers identified as Lao Alikhan Unos and Hadji Unis Saaduddin Lao entered the Philippines on May 5, but did not have import documents and permits from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the bureau siad. “In the presence of our agents, we physically examined the luggage and soon discovered the contraband goods,” Major Jaybee Raul Cometa, head of the BOC X-Ray Inspection (XIP) Unit, said. BOC Enforcement Group Deputy Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno recommended that a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) be issued for the contraband for violating an NTC memorandum circular and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
In a separate incident on May 1, the BOC apprehended a Chinese national who did not have an import permit for hundreds of Nokia 3310 mobile phones, which were presumed to be fake. “Of course, some consumers would rather patronize fake phones which are relatively cheaper than the original ones but they should also be wise enough to know the difference. Baka mamaya, sumabog iyan habang ginagamit nila, eh, mas mapapagastos pa sila lalo,” Customs Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon said. Last month, Finland-based HMD Global Oy – the exclusive owner of the rights to market Nokia phones – said the new version of the Nokia 3310 will be released in the Philippines this June. Although it has similar elements to the original handset, the new 3310 will have a full-color display, elevated menu features, and 2G internet but without Wi-Fi capability.
