PH now part of ASEAN customs link

THE Philippines, thru the Bureau of Customs (BOC), has formally acceded to the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document (ACDD) thru electronic exchange “after successful preliminary activities and connectivity testing.”

In a statement, the BOC said the country has been given the “green light” to join its regional partners in using the ACDD effective this month of November.

The ACDD is a multi-purpose trade document used for facilitating the exchange of export declaration information in ASEAN.

The objective of the electronic ACDD is to support Customs in the importing country to carry out their risk management activities.

The pilot electronic exchange also aims to benefit the participating exporters through the potential reduction in customs clearance time for shipments which are supported by the ACDD and imported into exchange-ready AMS (ASEAN member states).

The system is also expected to broaden economic integration, support the digitization of BOC processes, and maximize the potential of intra-ASEAN trade.

During the ACDD end-to-end testing period, the Philippines together with Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam will conduct two test cycles which will be monitored by the ASEAN Secretariat.

Once all parameters have been approved by ASEAN, the Philippines may start exchanging live ACDD data in the ASW (ASEAN Single Window) production environment by December 2021.

Atty. Vincent Maronilla, BOC spokesperson, said assisting them during the integration/inter-connectivity stage is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) thru the ASEAN Policy Implementation (API) Project.

The technical assistance included the development of the ACDD Portal through an in-depth study of the infrastructure requirements, information security issues, and functionality design under the guidance of Ms. Elaine Tan, who is the USAID API Chief of Party, Mr. Dennis Pantastico, who is the ASW Regional Advisor and Deputy Commissioner Allan C. Geronimo of the BOC-MISTG.

Meanwhile, various collection districts reported to Guerrero the success of his directive for all ports to engage in various stakeholders’ participation activities as part of the agency’s public information and public engagement campaign.

At the Port of Cebu, district collector Charlito Martin Mendoza, reported last November 8, 2021, the successful conclusion of their recent ‘best practices’ governance sharing activity with the Region 7 office of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Mendoza said the activity aims for the port to learn from the experiences of DTI-Region 7 for its own quest for Performance Governance System (PGS) rating, noting that DTI-Region 7 is the leading PGS-recognized government department in the region.

On the same day, NAIA district collector, Carmelita ‘Mimel’ Talusan reported on the conclusion of their meeting with DHL Express, one the biggest logistics company in the world.

In attendance from DHL Express during the meeting last November 2, 2021, were Ms. Yati Abdullah, outgoing Country Manager and now the Vice President, Emerging Markets, Mr. Nigel Lockett, incoming Country Manager and Mr. Promod George, Director of Operations.

The company thanked the Port of NAIA for their strengthened partnership and collaboration both sides developed in recent years.

Moving forward, Talusan said both sides agree to focus on the promotion of e-commerce in and out of the Philippines, full automation of systems and processes, and supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Talusan also announced that similar successful meetings have been concluded with other government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST).

At the Port of Iloilo, district collector Ciriago Ugay also initiated the sharing of best practices and good governance, this time, with the Philippine Army.

In a statement on November 9, 2021, the port said the activity is part of the port’s initiatives towards the successful conclusion of its own PGS application.

A similar PGS activity was also initiated by the Port of Cagayan with the Philippine Air Force last November 4, 2021.

On the other hand, the Port of Batangas under Coll. Rhea M. Gregorio, also reported the conclusion of its 4^th quarter strategy review last November 8, 2021, in preparation for the internal quality audit and proficiency (Revalida) scheduled for this month of November.

Gregorio assured Guerrero of the port’s “100 percent compliance” to PGS initiatives and ISO requirements.