The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has begun to fully implement a 12-hour work schedule and no-noon-break policy from October 1.
The 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. work schedule is embodied in Customs Memorandum Order No. (CMO) 33-2015 signed by BOC commissioner Alberto Lina on September 22.
BOC said the 12-hour work schedule adopted in all ports and sub-ports is “in line with our policies to provide optimum service to the transacting public and to further trade facilitation.”
BOC had earlier introduced the extended work hours in September but it was only at the beginning of October that the schedule was adopted 100%.
Under CMO 33-2015, regular work hours in all ports and sub-ports, including all offices under the Office of the Commissioner (OCOM), will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, with four shifts.
The memo adds that “in exigency of service, working days may also be altered to include Saturdays and Sundays.” Personnel who will work on such days may choose compensatory days-off during weekdays, provided that the Saturdays and Sundays are considered as regular workdays in the computation of overtime services.
Division chiefs will be responsible for arranging the work schedule of each staff to ensure no interruption of service.
District and port collectors are also tasked to directly coordinate with arrastre operators and other stakeholders at their ports and sub-ports and gain their full support for the longer work hours.
The CMO will initially cover all personnel at the OCOM, including all Groups of the agency, and these collection districts: Port of Manila, Manila International Container Port, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Cebu, Davao, Batangas, and Limay.
Earlier, Lina said BOC “will exhaust all means for an improved Customs service delivery to a higher level committed to reducing inefficiencies and delay,” adding that they “intend for the ber- months to pass by smoothly without any reports of port congestion.” – Roumina Pablo
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