THE continued deadlock in the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations has resulted in the rise of bilateral and regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in…
November 3, 2008
4 minute read
Automated Clearance for Subic, Clark
IN recent years, the Philippine government has been aggressively promoting the development of Subic and Clark as an economic corridor for international trade especially…
October 6, 2008
3 minute read
International Trade Arrangements
LAST Friday, we were invited to speak at the two-day conference of the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP) held at EDSA…
September 22, 2008
3 minute read
Accreditation of Cargo Surveyors
IN a previous column, we wrote about a public consultation conducted by customs two months ago on the accreditation of third party surveyors that…
September 8, 2008
3 minute read
CAO 4-2008A – Revised Rules on Importation of Resin
ABOUT two months ago, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) issued an order disallowing the importation of resin through customs bonded warehouses (CBWs). Customs Memorandum…
August 25, 2008
3 minute read
BOC Third Party Validators
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is finalizing rules which will result in the outsourcing of certain customs functions to the private sector, and which…
August 11, 2008
3 minute read
Issues on PEZA and Freeport Shipments
More commonly known as ‘Free Zones’, PEZA zones and Free Ports (e.g. Clark and Subic) have been under increasing scrutiny from tax and customs…
July 14, 2008
4 minute read
Latest Update on Customs Automation
IN the last three years, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has been implementing its latest automation program, funded mostly from its P500-million computerization project…
June 30, 2008
3 minute read
Customs Miscalculation of Duties and Taxes
SINCE last year, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) has been issuing new rules on the computation of duties and taxes. Rather than clarifying the…
June 16, 2008
3 minute read
Draft Customs rules on AEO
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the private sector, led by the Aircargo Forwarders of the Philippines, Inc (AFPI), last week held a conference-workshop…
May 19, 2008
3 minute read
New Customs Registration Program
AS a general rule, any article imported into the Philippines will require the prior accreditation or registration of the importer/consignee with the Bureau of…
May 5, 2008
3 minute read
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)
OF late, we have been hearing a lot about new programs on customs-business partnerships brought about by the continuing need to secure international trade…
April 21, 2008
3 minute read
Violation of CBW Rules
Customs Bonded Warehouses, CBWs for short, are presently under increasing scrutiny not only from customs authorities but also from various government task forces. The…
BASED on international trade practices, ‘free zones’ are a generally understood to be that part of a country’s territory considered as outside the customs…
INTERNATIONAL Commercial Terms (INCOTERMS) play a very important role in international trade. As transactions among buyers and sellers across international borders continue to grow…
March 10, 2008
3 minute read
Customs Modernization Act
WE continue our discussion on the expected changes in cus-toms operations arising from the planned revision of the existing customs and tariff laws through…
February 20, 2008
2 minute read
Proposed Anti-Smuggling Bills
There are presently pending bills in Congress (both Senate and House of Representatives) providing for measures to curb smuggling in our customs borders. While…
January 14, 2008
3 minute read
The Year That Was
THIS year has been very interesting in terms of developments in the customs and trade front. We will summarize these major developments and provide…
December 19, 2007
3 minute read
Implementation of the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) has already announced that the Revised Kyoto Conven-tion (RKC) will be adopted before the end of the year and…
November 19, 2007
3 minute read
Legal Issues Involving Customs Demand Letters
EARLY this year (March 12, 2007 column), we wrote about how importers are receiving demand letters from the Liquidation and Billing Division (LBD) of…
