THE quick release by the Bureau of Customs of a plane load of humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the victims of Typhoon Carina highlighted the reforms initiated by the agency in its shipment release process.
Port of NAIA district collector, Atty. Yasmin Mapa, in a report to Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, said the 747-200 cargo plane arrived in the early evening at the NAIA Terminal 2 with its cargo personally received by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos, UAE ambassador, H.E. Mohammed Obaid Alqattam Alzaabi, Special Envoy to the UAE for Trade and Investment Anna Kathryna Yu Pimentel and customs officials.
A press statement from the DSWD added that the relief goods include 2,464 individual packs of 900-gram milk, 5-kg flour, 400-gram tea, 5-kg rice, 1.5-liter oil, 1-kg red lentils, 1-kg peas, 1-kg dates, 375-mg tang powder, 500-gram oats, 850-mg tomato paste, 2-kg sugar, and 1-kg salt.
The donation also included 4,928 packages and cans of 400-gram pasta, 400-gram sweet corn, 400-gram green peas, 400-gram red kidney beans, 400-gram and 9,856 cans of 170-gram tuna and chickpeas, the statement added.
It can be recalled that the reforms initiated by the BOC in its release and monitoring processes proved crucial in the quick release and distribution to Filipinos of millions of doses in anti-Covid vaccines during the 2020-2022 pandemic years.
“(NAIA) is dedicated to ensuring that all humanitarian aid is processed and released without delay.
“We understand the urgency of the situation and have prioritized the swift clearance of these donations to help those in need as quickly as possible,” Mapa said.