BOC, DA, inks ‘data sharing’ agreement

THE Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture (DA) last week signed a ‘data sharing agreement’ that is meant to address issues regarding the country’s campaign against the smuggling of agricultural products while also enhancing the government’s efforts towards trade facilitation.

The “virtual” signing ceremony, witnessed by Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero and Sec. William Dar, was held last January 27, 2022, between the BOC’s Legal Service, Revenue Collection Monitoring Group, the Management Information and Technology Group (MISTG) and, the

The DSA is intended for data and information sharing between the BOC and the DA-TRU regarding importation and exportation of agri-fishery products under the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) covering Chapters 1-24.

The DSA was also made to improve the regulation and implementation of the Trade Remedy Measures and Customs Purposes with respect to customs duties, safeguard duties, anti-dumping duties, general safeguard duties, countervailing and other duties.

The said agreement was perfected by both parties to comply with all the rules and regulations governing the intended data sharing initiative which would be most beneficial to public service and to all parties involved.

It can be recalled that in all congressional hearings held by both houses of Congress on the issue of agricultural smuggling, the BOC has always been “blamed” for the incidents.

However, the hearings would also eventually establish that the “fault” is with the permits and licenses—or lack of them—that were coming from the DA and its attached agencies, as well as the DA’s lack of follow-through during actual inspections of cold storage warehouses after the products were released from BOC custody.

In 2021, the BOC intercepted smuggled agricultural products valued at P1.228 billion from 188 apprehensions; smugglers and customs brokers of agricultural products were also among the respondents in the 166 smuggling cases the BOC sued last year before the Department of Justice involving P293.9 million worth of smuggled goods (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 4).

More praises for BOC

Meanwhile, the local tobacco industry continues to praise the BOC for its unrelenting campaign against cigarette smuggling.

Philip Morris International (PMI), in a statement, particularly cited the Port of Subic under Coll. Maritess Martin, for the successful apprehensions of smuggled cigarettes at the port, the first the seizure of 1,500 master cases loaded in 3 containers of ‘Coo’ cigarettes worth P90 million this January. Another 500 master cases of the same cigarette were also apprehended at the Port of Subic worth P30 million last December 6, 2021.

In 2021, the BOC seized P1.71 billion worth of illicit cigarettes and tobacco products, majority of them thru the intelligence provided by the Intelligence Group under Deputy Commissioner Raniel Ramiro.

The fulsome praise for the BOC in its campaign against cigarette smuggling by PMI is on top of a similar fulsome praise given to the agency by Dennis Urkin, president of Philip Morris -Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) who described the BOC’s campaign as “fabulous work” (see also Pinoy Exposé, Volume 3, Issue No. 1/2).

This January, the BOC had already confiscated smuggled cigarettes at the Port of Cagayan de Oro and Davao, worth more than P37 million.

In a related development, the Port of Zamboanga last January 25, 2022, said they confiscated 1,038 master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth some P36.33 million at an “abandoned” warehouse.

In a report to Ramiro and Guerrero, the cigarettes were found at the warehouse located in Bgy. Kasanyangan, Zamboanga City, along with a Mitsubishi closed van that was also found abandoned nearby.

Prior to this, the report further said the authorities are conducting a follow-up operation after a shooting incident last January 24, 2022 in the same barangay when they got wind of the presence of the contraband.

The apprehended vehicle and master cases of cigarettes have been transferred to the Fast Cargo Logistics Warehouse in Barangay Baliwasan, Zamboanga City for safekeeping and inventory.