Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) X-ray scanning chief Lourdes Mangaoang opposes plans to install an imaging system that will allow other government agencies, including the Office of the President, access to cargo scrutiny being performed by BOC personnel.
Mangaoang said the move will only result in chaos and possibly more corruption.
“It is useless for (other) officers to examine incoming shipments as they lack the training and knowledge in reading the scanned images,” Mangaoang said.
“Do they know how to interpret x-ray images if they see one? The technology is useless if these people don’t know how to use it.”
Under the plan, x-ray images will only be made available to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Enforcement and Security Service, Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, and offices of the district collectors, among others.
In order to protect importers, shipment details of containers tagged by the BOC system for scanning, such as the declared item, value and shipper, will not be accessible to other BOC departments and a process put in place in case information needs to be shared with other parties.
Mangaoang suggests data access be given only to assessment officers, district collectors, the Customs commissioner and head of x-ray units.
Earlier, Customs commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon said he has received approval from the Office of the President for the P400-million project, half of which will be used to roll out the project at the Manila International Container Port, Port of Manila and the Office of the Commissioner.
The second phase of the project will cover Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 12 other ports of entry.
