The supervision of the Philippine Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) X-ray Inspection Project (XIP) has again been transferred to the Office of the Commissioner (OCOM).
Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 11-2017 signed by Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon on June 14 said the realignment of XIP from the Enforcement Group (EG) to OCOM is part of the agency’s ongoing reorganization and is meant to harmonize its anti-smuggling drive and border protection functions.
XIP was formerly with OCOM before it was transferred to EG in 2014.
“This is a measure to strengthen the integrity of the XIP and enhance transparency, the XIP being one of the BOC’s foremost tools against smuggling and other customs fraud,” CMO 11-2017 states.
With the realignment, the head of XIP will now directly report to Faeldon.
The XIP chief, in consultation with the customs commissioner, is authorized to reshuffle personnel within XIP or to reassign enforcement and security service personnel performing duties at XIP back to their mother units, and vice versa.
“The head of the XIP shall be responsible for taking measures to achieve the appropriate rate of detection of prohibited, restricted, misdeclared, underdeclared, undeclared, and other illegal importations,” the CMO says.
Provisions of CMO Nos. 16-2014, 22-2011, 10-2011, 17-2008, 14A-2007, 14-2007, 13-200, 06-2007, and all other rules inconsistent with CMO 11-2017 are deemed repealed or modified accordingly. – Roumina Pablo
