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THE
Bureau of Customs (BOC)said it would avoid “procedural”
problems as they begin the second phase of the move for
three ports to adopt paperless transaction.
Customs
deputy commissioner Alexander Arevalo told reporters on
Monday they would have to make changes in the
implementation of the new measure in the ports of Cebu,
Cagayan de Oro and Clark.
The
former two are in the Visayas while the latter, a former
United States military air base, is in Luzon.
The
closure of the remaining entry encoding centers (EECs)
in these ports would be complete by November 1, Arevalo
said.
Arevalo
earlier said his agency will shut down by the end of
this year all the remaining EECs, in a move to force all
custom brokers in the country to transact through
accredited service providers.
Since
Monday, the BOC said it would no longer accept
transactions from the ports of Manila other than those
going through the service providers: InterCommerce
Network Service, Cargo Data Exchange Center Inc., and e-Konek
Pilipinas.
Last
Monday, Arevalo said the changes they would apply is
aimed at preventing “procedural” problems they
encountered in the shut down of the facilities at the
various ports in Manila.
Arevalo
added that the problems prevented BOC and the service
providers to immediately expand in the other ports in
the country.
By
volume and value of goods, the Port of Manila, the
Manila International Container Port and the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport corner about 85 percent of the
total. On the other hand, the three remaining major
ports and the Subic Bay Freeport account for a
significant portion of the remaining 15 percent.
“We’re
keeping our ears close to the ground so we will not have
the problems that we had in Manila. These problems will
recur if we do not address it,” Arevalo said on the
sidelines of a seminar for customs brokers organized by
the Federation of Accredited Customs Brokers and
Forwarders of the Philippines Inc.
“As
early as two months ago, BOC could have expanded the
VASP operations but decided to defer it until the
resolution of several issues such as VASP gateway
operations in provinces as well as proper information on
EEC workers to be displaced,” Arevalo said.
At the
moment, the service providers handle online lodgment of
import entries, but in the next few months BOC will add
two dozen more applications, including the advance
inward foreign manifest.
Operations of the service providers in the provinces are
vital as it will determine the fate of the accredited
companies whether they will be handed the full
three-year BOC accreditation or be disqualified, Arevalo
said. |
