THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) formally launched the National Single Window (NSW) last week connecting a few government agencies to the BOC database.
At the launch, Customs commissioner Napoleon Morales said the NSW simplifies and harmonizes customs and clearance procedures.
“We made history because for the first time, initially 10 and eventually 40 agencies are working together as one unified whole in the fulfillment of the Asean vision of single submission, single synchronous processing, and single decision making in the release of goods being processed,” Morales said.
The NSW is now being adopted at the Bureau of Product Standards, National Food Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration, Board of Investments, Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Food and Drugs, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Under the NSW, each agency is given a corresponding barcode encoded in the import application form that will be submitted to the NSW and will be used by other agencies to validate if import documents submitted are authentic or not.
PEZA applications, however, will still have to be submitted straight to PEZA-accredited value-added service providers instead of passing through the NSW. PEZA will notify the NSW if the applications for import permits of locators have been accepted.
The information uploaded to the NSW will be the basis for BOC to validate permits issued. Import permits not appearing in the NSW database will not be honored.
UK-based firm Crown Agents Consultancy has been tapped by BOC to interconnect other government agencies with the BOC.
The NSW is a prelude to the Asean Single Window eyed for adoption two years from now.
