Manila, May 29 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA), Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday flagged around PHP9 million worth of smuggled sugar at the Port of Manila.

The operation was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to intensify efforts against agricultural smuggling as it poses a threat to local farmers' income and public health safety.

In particular, the agencies seized 2,000 50-kilogram bags of sugar, equivalent to 100,000 kilograms or 100 metric tons (MT) in volume, found inside four container vans.

These include 50 tons of unauthorized imported sugar from Thailand, and another 50 tons of refined sugar misdeclared as "sweet mixed powder" from Vietnam.

In a me...