The Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted 123 live Chinese soft-shell turtles, packed in seven polystyrene boxes, at the Pair Cargo warehouse near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA-1) last Friday. BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said yesterday the shipment was misdeclared as eels and was bound for Taipei when it was intercepted by customs officers. Two eels were included in the shipment, officials said. They explained that eels are covered by export permits while soft-shell turtles are not.

Santos, R. (2017, November 12). 123 soft-shell turtles seized near NAIA. The Philippine Star, p. 16.