The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has approved a 30% increase in rates for service, storage, and other charges on imported goods or merchandise stored in customs bonded warehouses (CBW) that operate within the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) complex.
Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 14-2019 amends CAO 01-2013 and implements relevant provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). The new rates are substantially higher than the 2013 rates set under CAO 02-2013, and takes “into account the present economic conditions and the facilities given by CBW operators, and the service, storage, and other charges on goods or merchandise stored in CBWs.”
CAO 14-2019, which will take effect 30 days after September 26, aims to standardize various charges for the operations affecting imported goods before actual delivery to the importer or consignee.
CAO 14-2019 is applicable to the customs collection district of NAIA and the different public bonded warehouses, particularly PSI Inc.; Philippine Airlines; PAIRCARGO and Warehousing Co., Inc.; Delbros Inc.; Cargohaus Inc.; DHL Express Philippines Inc.; TMW Worldwide Express; and all CBWs within the NAIA complex.
The rates apply to general and special cargoes, which include baggage and personal effects, perishables, valuable cargoes, restricted goods, livestock and plants, and human remains.
For general cargo with no free storage, rates range from P2.64 kilogram (kg) per day to P3.43 per kg per day.
The minimum charge is from P151.91 per day to P197.48 kg per day, with exemption rates for documents and diplomatic pouches for P101.25 per day to P131.63 per day.
For special cargoes, the minimum charge is from P302.63 per day to P393.42 per day. Baggage and personal effects rates are from P2.64 per kg per day to P3.43 per kg per day; and from P5.30 per kg per day to P6.89 per kg per day for perishables, valuable cargoes, restricted goods, livestock and plants, and human remains.
Service charge now ranges from P1.04 per kg per day to P1.35 per kg per shipment for shipments whose weight per airway bill (AWB) is less than 100 kg; and from P1.53 per kg per day to P1.99 per kg per shipment for shipments whose weight per AWB is 100 kg or more.
Ancillary services include backdoor release, deconsolidation fee, and returned shipment fee.
Backdoor release is when shipments are to be released from the warehouse outside the normal 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. customs release period during weekdays, and anytime during weekends and holidays. Fees range from P8.45 kg per day to P10.99 per kg per day, with minimum charge of P505.13 per kilogram to P656.67 per kg and a maximum charge of P843.75 per AWB to P1,096.88 per AWB.
Deconsolidation fee, which is the charge to compensate for the warehouse operator’s effort of physically break bulking and individually checking the consolidated shipment against the consolidated manifest to ensure completeness, has a fixed rate of P425.25 per house AWB to P552.83 per house AWB.
Returned shipment fee, formulated to compensate for the additional task of rechecking, re-taping and restoring the shipment originally released from the warehouse but was not cleared by the customs collector for some reasons and returned to the warehouse for safekeeping, has a rate of P84.41 per kg per day to P109.73 per kg per day. It has a minimum charge of P506 to P657.80 and a maximum charge of P843.75 to P1,096.88.
Violations of CAO 14-2019 committed by any person, officer or employee will be penalized in accordance with Title XIV (Offenses and penalties) of the CMTA and other applicable penal provisions.
CAO 14-2019 is subject for review every three years and shall be amended or revised if necessary. – Roumina Pablo
