The Philippines will likely miss the deadline for implementation of the Asean Single Window (ASW) in 2015 with the local version of the program, the National Single Window (NSW), taking longer than expected to adopt.
“I’m afraid the Philippines will not be able to catch up with the Asean deadline,” Customs deputy commissioner for Management Information Service and Technology Group Ma. Caridad Manarang told PortCalls. Manarang attended an ASW meeting held last week in Cambodia.
“We are hoping that the Philippine NSW Phase 2, which is currently being bidded out, starts soon enough,” she added.
The Department of Budget and Management has yet to fully review bidding papers from at least six companies that were submitted last month. Among those that pre-qualified are TIM, Crowne Agents, Unisys and Web Fontaine.
NSW Phase 2 requires a 36-month timeframe to complete the P442.30-million project that involves government-wide rationalization, standardization and harmonization of all trade data and enhancement of trade portals as well as the link of the NSW to the ASW.
Assuming a winning bid is announced before yearend and there are no further delays to the process, it will still take government until end of 2015 to hook up the NSW to the ASW. Thus, the earliest adoption of NSW will be 2016, a full year after than the ASW deadline.
There are now 30 out of 40 government agencies linked to the NSW; the remaining 10 will be connected soon.
The ASW is the environment where NSWs of member countries operate and integrate. Activities include exchange of information of ASEAN Customs Declaration Document and Certificate of Origin under the Common Effective Preferential Treatment scheme of ASEAN Free Trade Area.
