The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it will conduct regular spot inspections of cargoes at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) as part of the bureau’s intensified campaign against smuggling.
“We will do this as often as we can, if necessary, until such time all importers and players can do the business legitimately,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said on January 19 during his surprise random checking at MICP’s Container Freight Station 3.
MICP is BOC’s biggest collection district and generates the highest revenues.
BOC in a statement also assured that the physical examination of 100 randomly selected containers in the yard by 24 inspectors from the Office of the Commissioner “is not expected to cause port congestion.”
“This random inspection will let us know if the shipment contains misdeclared or undervalued shipment,” Lapeña said.
Shipments with no discrepancy will be cleared immediately to avoid unnecessary delays for complying importers, BOC said.
But for erring importers, Lapeña said they will have to “suffer the consequences of duping the government.”
“If the inspectors found anomaly [in] the cargoes, the district collector will issue warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) immediately on the shipment while the Legal Division will file a case [against] the erring importer,” he said.
In 2017, an average of 760,000 containers arrived at MICP, with an average daily arrival of 1,500 containers.
“With such huge number of imports arriving each day, we have to make sure that our borders are free [of] smuggled goods,” Lapeña pointed out.
The decision of the customs chief to suspend the green lane under BOC’s selectivity system is still in force, which means cargoes will either be directed to the yellow lane (documentary review) or red lane (documentary review and physical inspection).
READ: Use of green lane temporarily on hold
“I still have no plans to lift the green lane (suspension) because that is where the 604 kilos of shabu passed through,” Lapeña said, pertaining to the P6.5 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) that was directed to the green lane and slipped past BOC in May last year. Lapeña suspended the green lane in September last year, a few days after he assumed office at BOC. – Roumina Pablo
