IF all goes according to plan, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will only accept electronic import/export permits and clearances via the National Single Window (NSW) by the first quarter of 2011. This is according to a document from the Department of Agriculture obtained by PortCalls.
The NSW is an electronic system to facilitate trade that allows a single point of entry for submission of data and information; re-use of data and information to avoid repeated keying-in of data; single synchronous processing of data and information; and quick and easy release and clearance of cargo.
Government agencies involved in the NSW include the Board of Investments, Bureau of Animal Industry, BOC, Bureau of Export Trade Promotion, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Import Services, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Product Standards, Dangerous Drugs Board, Department of Health, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Environment Management Bureau, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Firearms and Explosive Office, Food and Drug Administration, Forest Management Bureau, Maritime Industry Authority, National Food Authority, National Meat Inspection Service, National Telecommunications Commission, Optical Media Board, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Philippine National Police, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Philippine Ozone Desk and Sugar Regulatory Administration.
The Philippine NSW should have been implemented in 2007 but moved back several times due to lack of funds and changes in schedules within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The implementation of the NSW is a prelude to the ASEAN Single Window (ASW).
The ASW will link all Asean member countries’ customs offices for faster documentation and clearance of import/export shipments.
The ASW has been pilot tested in several countries, including the Philippines-Thailand, Philippines-Korea, and Philippines-Brunei, and Malaysia-Indonesia.
