THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) will ask importers to organize themselves into groups mainly based on their usage of the Customs selectivity and alert system (super green, green, yellow and red lanes).
“It’s sort of a big boys’ club. It will give you so much pride to be identified with a select group,” Customs commissioner Angelito Alvarez said, noting that each of the groups may choose to elect their own set of officers. “But you have to undergo a validation process. You have to be accepted by the SGL (super green lane) and green lane importers’ association.”
The super green lane is for qualified importers of extremely low risk to provide immediate clearance. A low-risk shipment, on the other hand, goes through the green lane and is generally subject to no documentary review or physical inspection but is covered by the post-audit review.
Companies in the red lane that have achieved a good reputation over the years can strive to be part of the green lane grouping, Alvarez said.
A high-risk shipment channels through the red lane and is subject to both documentary review and physical inspection prior to its release.
Alvarez said the grouping of importers is in preparation for the eventual shelving of the yellow lane in all ports nationwide by November 15 following reports the lane was being used by smugglers.
A moderate-risk shipment that goes through the yellow lane is subject to documentary review but no physical inspection.
The green lane, which was earlier scrapped by the BOC at the Manila International Container Port, will be reimplemented on November 15.
Alvarez, together with a team from the Department of Finance, will fly to Indonesia this week to study that country’s selectivity and alert system which has no yellow lane.
