The Bureau of Customs (BOC) says it will no longer require a certificate of exemption from companies that seek to import lithium ion batteries.
BOC said such shipments can be processed by its Formal Entry Division without the need for the importer to produce a certificate of exemption from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, in Customs Memorandum Circular No. 96-2015, said this is to comply with Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Resolution 01-2015, which states that imported lithium ion battery packs that are finished products and used as power source for electronic devices are exempt from having to secure a PDEA certificate.
The DDB resolution, or the “Comprehensive Guidelines on Importation, Distribution, Manufacture, Prescription, Dispensing and Sale of, and Other Lawful Acts in Connection with any Dangerous Drugs, Controlled Precursor and Essential Chemicals (CPECs) and other Similar or Analogous Substances,” took effect in March 2015.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) has informed BOC that a certificate of exemption for ceramic tiles, plywood, flat glass, common nails, and GI sheets will also no longer be required “unless product verification is needed to ascertain whether or not the product type/model is covered.”
BPS Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 15-03 updated the List of Products Under Mandatory Certification, by specifying the products it covers and classifying them into three groups, namely, safety, performance, and energy labelling.
BPS MC 15-03 is a follow-up memorandum to the recently issued Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 15-01, or “Measures to Facilitate the Issuance of the Import Commodity Clearance.” In view of this, BPS said it will no longer issue a certificate of conditional release but will instead provide an ICC certificate for these products.
BOC enforces the requirements of other government agencies in the importation of regulated products. – Roumina Pablo
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