From now on, the Philippine Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Accounts Management Office (AMO) will only transact with authorized representatives of importers and customs brokers applying for registration in line with its anti-fixer campaign.
In a stakeholder advisory on November 10, BOC said that effective October 23, AMO will only transact with duly designated company personnel/employees with official company ID. AMO will also only transact with those duly authorized by importers/customs brokers through a special power of attorney or authorization letter with photocopy of the identification card of the importer or customs broker.
Importers and customs brokers wanting to transact with BOC are required to register with AMO after securing a clearance certificate from the Bureau of Internal Revenue as part of the accreditation process that started in 2014.
The registration process is embodied in Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 11-2014, or the revised guidelines for the registration of importers and customs brokers.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña earlier said AMO’s processing of registration has improved, and it no longer takes weeks and even months for the office to approve an application.
In a press conference on November 6, Lapeña commended AMO for reducing the steps in registration to six from 11, and establishing a queueing system for application. He added that with the new AMO chief, the 1,382 applications pending since July 2017 have been processed.
Lapeña earlier instructed AMO to finish reviewing and processing of applications in three to five days, provided requirements are complete.
READ: Customs’ AMO ordered to speed up handling of importers’ applications
The BOC chief said delays in approving an application may tempt employees to commit corruption if applicants resort to bribery in order to get approved more quickly.
Quicker processing of applications for registration is one of the measures BOC is doing to ensure that stakeholders pay the correct duties and taxes, and do not contribute to “breeding corruption” in the customs bureau, Lapeña said. – Roumina Pablo
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