Airfreight industry stakeholders in NAIA were recently alerted to prepare for the Bureau of Customs (BOC) electronic-to-mobile (e2m) e-manifest “switch ON “ targeted for implementation by middle of this month.
e-Manifest “switch ON” means that all electronic import entry declarations lodged by customs brokers in the e2m system is automatically “matched” with details of the electronic MAWB/HAWB.
Since airlines and forwarders/consolidators already comply with mandatory advance submission of e-IFM (inward foreign manifest)/CCM (consolidated cargo manifest), doesn’t this mean that e-manifest is already on “switch On” mode?
The “switch ON” mode involves automated matching done within the system without any manual intervention:
- If the corresponding e-MAWB/HAWB is not found in e2m Electronic Manifest System, the import entry lodgment is rejected by the system and error message is transmitted to the VASP used by the customs broker. “Not found” means e-IFM/CCM is not “Validated” within e2m.
- Airline registry number and customs port code indicated in e-IFM/CCM and customs broker import declaration must be the same (e.g., PRA0155-15 P03). The use of flight number (PR590) and dummy number (ADV-155) as registry number in the import entry declaration will be rejected by e2m.
- MAWB/HAWB in both e-IFM/CCM and import declaration are fully matched.
- The import entry declarations encompassed are consumption, warehousing and transshipment (PEZA, freeports, and port-to-port).
Import clearance of seafreight shipments nationwide have long been on “e-manifest switch ON” since 2009. It is only now that airfreight stakeholders will undergo this.
Leo V. Morada is a domain expert on IT applications in Philippine port operations with 30 years’ senior IT management experience implementing technology solutions in port operations, electronic transactions with customs and port authority, and air/sea port community system applications. He is CEO of Cargo Data Exchange Center, Inc, a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) of Bureau of Customs and Philippine Economic Zone Authority. He may be contacted at lmorada3f1@yahoo.com.
