Parties told to submit positions on customs brokerage law

A LOCAL court has recently ordered all parties affected by the Customs Brokers Act (Republic Act 9280) to submit their respective positions and allow the case to go through the regular process, a move seen to delay the law’s implementation further.
       Besides ordering all petitioners Monday to file their respective interventions, Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Felixberto T. Olalia Jr. also told the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to respond.
       The petitioners were led by customs brokerage house Airlift Asia Customs Brokerage Inc. Besides claiming that 20 of its employees will lose their jobs once the law is enforced, the brokerage house said that its transactions with its clients would be dislocated. However, Airlift Asia was reportedly unable to reply when the judge asked the petitioner which of the law’s provisions should be deleted. The brokerage house only said that some of the business requirements should be slashed.
       After the hearing, a closed door meeting between the counsels of all parties were held to discuss how they would go about the case.
       Olalia also released on Monday an order preventing the BoC to implement the law for at least 20 days. On the same day, the BoC also issued a 60-day extension for the transition period of the law’s implementation. In March, the BoC released Customs Administrative Order 3-2006, the rules and regulations of the law that governs the accreditation of customs brokers that transact with the agency. Its full implementation was supposed to take effect on Monday.
       According to the new rules, which were not received well by industry players, customs brokers, which needs licenses from the Professional Regulation Commission, should have their own office and comply with all the documentary requirements of running a business. Brokers should also distance themselves from freight forwarders, a proposal which runs contrary to regular industry practice.
       Other requirements for customs brokers include an accreditation fee of P1,300, a fidelity bond of P50,000, a certified list of customers, and all the tax documents as required by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. VG Cabuag