THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is enhancing its cargo selectivity scheme in order to facilitate clearance at the ports. At the recently concluded 3rd Philippine Ports and Shipping at the Peninsula Manila, Customs commissioner Alberto Lina said: "We are going to conduct mandatory (physical) examination (red lane) of just 20% of shipments from the present 80%, documentary check (yellow), 20% of shipments and delivery (green), 60% of shipments," adding that the back-end will be reinforced by developing a strong Post-Entry Audit (PEA) System.
The PEA system allows for a BOC audit within three years of cargoes already cleared at the ports. Valuation screens will also be strengthened by making sure they also covers warehousing entries, Lina said. A compilation of reference values is ongoing with the goal of ridding the data warehouse of unrealistic values.
The BOC will also conduct spot checks on goods destined for Philippine Economic Zone Authority locations and for transfers to customs bonded warehouses (CBWs) to effectively monitor imports not subject to payment of duties and taxes.
"To complement this measure, we have ordered a moratorium on the establishment of new CBWs except manufacturing bonded warehouses," he noted. Meanwhile, Lina said the bureau has entered into an agreement with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to jointly monitor imports of oil and oil products to cap leaks in revenue collection.He said oil imports account for more than 20% of revenues collected by BOC."From petro products, we expect to generate P25.723 billion or 17% and crude oil, P6.082 billion at 4%," Lina said. He explained the joint BOC and BIR effort will strengthen capability of both revenue-generating bodies to scrutinize all imports of oil and non-oil commodities, which have always been subject to fraud in the past.
Meanwhile, BIR and BOC have also created a joint monitoring group for the importation of tiles in view of the growing tile manufacturing industry in the country.
