BOC showcases airline cargo streamlining success

On Nov 10, 2024

The Philippine delegation to the 244/245th session of the WCO-Permanent Technical Committee held in Brussels, Belgium from October 23-25. The group, consisting of Atty. Marlon M. Agaceta, Atty. Erwin T. Mendoza, Mr. Arestil Arnold M. Famor, and Collector Rechilda Oquias, was applauded by the delegates for their presentation on the country's success in the streamlining of its air cargo release process in compliance with the rules of the World Trade Organization (photo credit: BOC-PIAD).

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) under Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, had another occasion to highlight the success of its streamlines processes during its participation in the 244^th/245^th sessions of the World Customs Organization Permanent Technical Committee (WCO-PTC) held in Brussels, Belgium from October 23 to October 25.

The meetings operate under the guidance of the WCO Council and Policy Commission, with administrative support from the WCO Secretariat.

The PTC was originally established to conduct technical studies on customs matters, excluding those related to nomenclature and valuation, and to address issues that would ultimately be submitted to the Council for decision-making.

In one of its agenda, the BOC made a presentation on its experience in implementing Article 7.8 of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO-TFA), focusing on air cargo streamlining as aligned with the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines.

In August 2019, the WCO sent a ‘diagnostic mission’ to assess the agency’s compliance with the TFA that was successfully tested during the COVID 19 pandemic the following year and up to 2021 when the vaccines against COVID started arriving in huge volumes.

In the same year, the BOC also released its memorandum order (CMO) on customs procedure involving air express shipments; a draft customs administrative order (CAO) for approval by Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto on cross-border e-commerce shipments is also awaiting approval any time this year.

The presentation received commendations from the WCO member delegations and observers from the private sector such as the Global Express Association (GEA).

The Philippines was represented by Atty. Marlon M. Agaceta, Atty. Erwin T. Mendoza, Mr. Arestil Arnold M. Famor, and Collector Rechilda Oquias.

The 2-days session concluded with productive discussions, setting a strong foundation for advancements in areas including E-Commerce, Smart Customs Project, Green Customs, Globally Networked Customs (GNC), Customs-Port Cooperation, Free Zones, the Role of Customs in Disaster Relief, and the Time Release Study (TRS) of shipments.

“Pursuing a customs administration that conforms to global standards and harmonizes with international best practices represent a significant challenge, one the BOC is fully poised to undertake,” Commissioner Rubio remarked.