BOC continues to improve facilities, services

BATAS sues 2 more traders for smuggling before DOJ

On May 3, 2021

The customs examination area at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) is now operational on a 24-hour basis, according to district collector, Romeo Allan Rosales, as part of the agency’s continuing effort to improve its services and facilities in accordance with the ’10-Point Reform Program’ of Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero (photo credit: BOC-PIAD).

DESPITE the continued challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) continues with its efforts to improve its facilities and services in pursuit of its mandate of trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling operation.

At the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the country’s biggest port in terms of volume, district collector Romeo Allan Rosales said physical and non-intrusive (X-ray) examination of arriving shipments are now being done on a 24-hour basis under their “enhanced risk management” program.

“Presently, MICP has successfully addressed the increase of containers subject to examination. Containers requiring examination are now back to the normal rate,” Rosales said in a report to Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

Aside from facilitating trade and preventing smuggling, the selectivity adjustment being supervised by the Risk Management Office (RMO) under Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Raniel Ramiro, also ensure that cargo spaces are available at all times, thus preventing port congestion.

Under the program, Rosales said that personnel from the X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), Inspection Unit (IU), Formal Entry Division (FED), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), and Piers and Inspection Division (PID) are deployed on a 24-hour shift to ensure smooth port operation on the customs side.

“MICP shall continue to implement measures to address situations such as the increase of containers requiring inspection,” Rosales added.

At the Port of Manila (POM), district collector, Michael Angelo Vargas, announced the opening last April 28, 2021, of another ‘designated examination area’ (DEA) along Delgado Street, Port Area, Manila.

Completed together with the Asian Terminal, Inc. (ATI), the POM’s private arrastre operator, Vargas said the Delgado DEA, which has four new slots, also has “security measures” in place such as CCTV cameras and with deployed personnel coming from the ESS, CIIS, PDEA, and Coast Guard.

Priority shipments for examination at the Delgado ramp are reefer containers and “orange-tagged” shipments that were deemed for further verification after X-ray.

In addition, red-tagged shipments will also be examined at the new area to speed up the POM’s inspection rate.

Petron Bataan ‘fully compliant;’ NAIA seeks ISO accreditation

At the Port of Limay, acting district collector William B. Balayo, led the inspection a day previously of the discharge of ‘Indonesian steam coal’ destined for Petron Bataan Refinery (PBR) located at the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) private port in Limay.

One huge ship. Customs officers at the Port of Limay are dwarfed by the size of the cargo ship they are to inspect at the SMC private port in Limay, Bataan, April 28, 2021. The cargo consisted of ‘Indonesian steam coal’ consigned to the Petron Bataan Refinery (photo: BOC-PIAD).

The importation is considered as the first importation of the PBR as an Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB)-Registered Entity.

The inspection result showed that the PBR is fully compliant with all requirements and existing regulations, including the provision of easy access to facilitate inspection and monitoring.

Prior to this, Balayo also reported to Guerrero that together with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, they also witnessed the inventory-taking of crude oil and petroleum products at PBR to determine their inventory level prior to PBR’s transition to an AFAB Registered Enterprise.

One of the privileges of an AFAB Registered Entity is the tax and duty-free importation of goods within the Freeport Area under R.A. 9728 known as the “Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) Act of 2009” as amended by R.A. 11453.

Meanwhile, Port of NAIA district collector, Carmelita ‘Mimel’ Talusan, announced that the port underwent a two-day internal quality audit (IQA) beginning last April 20, 2021, as they prepare for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification.

In a statement, Talusan expressed her support to the audit as achieving an ISO certification for all customs districts is among the priority programs of the BOC under Guerrero.

Talusan assured the IQA that “all findings will be complied within the period prescribed” by the team.

2 more traders sued for smuggling

For its part, the bureau’s ‘Action Team Against Smugglers’ (BATAS) under Atty. Vener Baquiran, Deputy Commissioner for Revenue Collection and Monitoring (RCMG), announced the filing of yet another case of smuggling against two traders before the Department of Justice (DOJ) last April 23, 2021.

Members of the BOC Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS), swears on the veracity of the information for smuggling they filed against two traders and their customs brokers before a prosecutor from the Department of Justice, April 23, 2021 (photo credit: BOC-PIAD).

In a statement, BATAS identified the accused as ‘JDR General Merchandise’ and ‘Gingerbreadman Trading,’ adding also charged were their respective customs brokers.

JDR was found to have illegally imported two shipments of cigarettes and general merchandize at the MICP last March 17, 2021 worth more than P50.540 million.

On the other hand, Gingerbreadman was found to have misdeclared its shipment of general merchandize worth more than P1.3 million last August 15, 2020, also at the MICP.

Monitoring by Pinoy Exposé of BATAS’ accomplishments showed that the above constitutes the 26^TH smuggling case it filed since the start of the year.

The figure is separate from the 127 active smuggling cases the unit has filed and has been monitoring since last year.