BOC assures: ‘No let-up in drive versus smuggling’

24th smuggling case filed before the DOJ

On Apr 19, 2021

An officer from the Bureau of Customs’ Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS), swears as to the veracity of the complaints filed against three more suspected smugglers and their customs brokers before a prosecutor from the Department of Justice, April 8, 2021. Since January, the bureau had already filed 24 smuggling cases while monitoring the progress of 127 other cases it filed last year (photo credit: BOC-PIAD).

THE Bureau of Customs’ Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS), assured a ‘no-nonsense, no let-up’ campaign against smuggling groups as it again indicted three importers and their customs brokers before the Department of Justice.

Atty. Vener Baquiran, deputy commissioner for revenue collection and monitoring group (RCMG) and who has supervision over BATAS, said indicted before the DOJ last April 8, 2021, were: ‘JOBADEC INTERNATIONAL TRADING,’ ‘CWON-PAMPANGA MOTORS TRADING’ and, ‘AGILITY SOLUTIONS, INC.’

Indicted along with them are their respective customs brokers, Baquiran added.

Jobadec is being prosecuted for the importation of alleged counterfeit products worth more than P729,730, at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) last November 1, 2020.

CWON, for its part, was caught for misdeclaring a shipment of ‘general merchandise loaded in a 40-footer van valued at more than P2.76 million that also arrived at the MICP last November 26, 2020.

A month earlier, on October 22, 2020, Baquiran said Agility Solution was also apprehended at the MICP for the unlawful importation of “regulated chemicals” worth more than P8.8 million.

Bureau of Customs Deputy Commissioner for Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group (RCMG) and BATAS Chief Implementer Atty. Vener Baquiran (stock photo).

Baquiran, in an updated report to Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, said that since the start of the year and ending last April 8, 2021, BATAS has already filed 24 smuggling cases against various importers and their customs brokers.

The number is separate from the 127 ‘active smuggling cases’ from last year’s case filings that the bureau, thru BATAS, has brought against suspected smugglers and their accomplices.

BOC, USAID partnership to boost PH ‘NSW’ project

Meanwhile, the BOC expressed its gratitude to the United States government, for the latter’s continuing technical assistance to the government’s ‘National Single Window (NSW) project.

Last April 6, 2021, the BOC and the Agency for International Development (USAID), held another round of meeting to discuss plans for a ‘public awareness campaign’ on the NSW, including the “onboarding” of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Customs Declaration Document (ACDD) to meet the Philippines’ ASEAN commitment on trade facilitation.

The US assistance is under the USAID ASEAN Policy Implementation Project.

The Philippine government, thru the BOC and its mother agency, the Department of Finance (DOF), has started working with the USAID ASEAN Policy Implementation project to improve the country’s NSW implementation/

The project provides technical assistance to the bureau to enable the NSW to interact with the ACDD.

The public awareness campaign seeks to “increase greater awareness,” as well as the utilization of the ATIGA e-Form D (electronic Certificate of Origin) as well as the ACDD (Export Declaration).

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, public awareness activities shall mainly focus on online dissemination of infographics, audio-visuals presentations, written displays such as trifold, brochures and banners containing information about the ASW and ACDD, among others.

The info materials shall be released and communicated via the BOC’s social media platforms and the USAID ASEAN webpage. ###