THE Philippine Senate has begun hearing proposed amendments to the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) in time for the expected accession of the country to the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) in April.
The amendments are necessary to harmonize the TCCP with the RKC which standardizes customs procedures.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is lobbying for amendments to the 30-year old law last revised during the Marcos era.
“The draft of the Customs Modernization Bill has been submitted to the legislative branch of government for its passage into law. The consolidated customs regulations structured along the lines of RKC will be completed before the RKC (is) fully enforced if the country is able to accede to the convention by April this year,” the BOC said in a report.
Specifically, the bill consolidates customs regulation which will codify, systematize, and align all customs regulations and procedures with the standards and recommended practices of RKC.
Ratification requires BOC and other government agencies to follow some 120 binding provisions of convention including on duties and taxes; customs control; the use of information technology, risk management, and audit techniques; pre-arrival processing, transparency of customs regulation, and partnership approach between customs and trade.
The country has three years to enforce standards required by the treaty and five for the transitory standards.
BOC said it has completed the terms of reference, funding requirements, bills for legislation, and operations manual related to RKC compliance.
