Customs creates
anti-smuggling unit for motor vehicles
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently
established an anti-smuggling unit for motor vehicles
(AS-U-MOVE) to stem the proliferation of illegal
activities in "hot zones" such as Clark,
Subic, Batangas, Cebu and Davao.
The group was created through the implementation
of Customs memorandum circular no. 35-2004, pursuant
to Executive Order No. 363.
The bureau said the smuggling of motor vehicles
has become very rampant throughout the country.
Through the new division, the BOC is hoping to
impose effective measures to suppress conduits
of smuggling.
Directly attached to the Office of the Commissioner,
AS-U-MOVE is tasked to coordinate with the Land
Transportation Office (LTO) in identifying imported
vehicles released from Customs territory which
have not complied with requirements of the Tariff
and Customs Code of the Philippines and other
laws.
The group will also enlist the assistance of other
law enforcement agencies such as the Traffic Management
Group of the Philippine National Police and the
Metro Manila Development Authority in going after
smuggled vehicles.
Once proven smuggled, apprehended vehicles will
be issued warrants of seizure and detention, subject
to seizure and forfeiture.
AS-U-MOVE will also have sub-units in areas identified
as hot zones, wherein they will issue internal
guidelines necessary to effectively enforce the
bureau's anti-smuggling campaign.
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CAB gears up towards ISO certification
THE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is reengineering
its business processes to improve service delivery
and customer satisfaction as part of its preparation
to acquire the ISO 9001:2000 certification by
next year.
In an interview, CAB Administrative Division chief
Jesus F. Ibay, Jr. said the agency is eyeing a
50% reduction in cycle time and 100% improvement
in accuracy for key business processes.
He said under a ten-point plan, CAB has identified
several "values" in which specific projects
will be based upon. The reengineering procedure
falls under the "innovative spirit"
category.
"These values, when inculcated upon the service
we are rendering for the stakeholders, will eventually
lead to global competitiveness. This will make
the Philippines at par with international standards
in terms of transparency and efficiency in rendering
public service," he noted.
According to Ibay, the aviation regulator has
already signed a memorandum of agreement with
the Development Academy of the Philippines to
facilitate the training for ISO 9001:2000.
He noted the training process will be reviewed
and approved by the CAB board before its implementation
by the latter part of this month. "We are
hoping to form the work teams by end-November
so that this project could start," he said.
The training would take about ten months to one
year, in time for the projected completion of
the ISO certification requirements, which is by
the end of 2005, he added.
Also part of the reengineering process is the
review and rationalization of CAB's processes.
These include identifying improvements that can
be obtained from computerization; developing critical
success factors for each customer grouping; and
rationalizing activities to determine which should
be revised, deleted or kept.
Earlier, CAB initiated the first phase of its
computerization project, which involves the development
of various software programs.
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Sept imports up 14.8%
TOTAL merchandise trade for September 2004 grew
11.5% to $7.134 billion from $6.399 billion during
the same period a year earlier. Dollar-inflow
generated exports amounted to $3.637 billion,
or 8.4% higher than last year's $3.354 billion.
Likewise, expenditures for imported goods went
up 14.8% to $3.497 billion from $3.045 billion.
The Balance of Trade in goods (BOT-G) registered
a surplus for the Philippines at $140 million,
lower compared to last year's growth of $309 million.
Accounting for 44.4% of the total aggregate import
bill, payments for electronic products amounted
to $1.553 billion or an 8.2% increment than last
year's reported figure at $1.435 billion. Compared
to the previous month's level, purchases moved
up 7.9% from $1.439 billion.
Imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and related
materials ranked second with 11.6% share. Expenditures
at $407.35 million, posted a 37% growth over the
previous year's level which stood at $297.23 million.
Industrial machinery and equipment, the third
top import was worth $145.22 million, or an increase
of 6.5% from $136.38 million in the previous year.
Transport equipment, accounting for 3.2% of the
total imports, ranked fourth as foreign bill amounted
to $111.02 million, lower 4.5% from last year's
figure at $116.29 million.
Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related
products, contributing 2.6% to the total bill,
was RP's fifth top import for the month with payments
placed at $92.24 million or an increment of 34%
from last year's $68.80 million.
Expenditures for iron and steel, with a 2.6%
share to the aggregate bill, picked up 24.7% to
$92.11 million from $73.86 million in September
2003.
Rounding up the list of the top imports for September
2004 were: telecommunication equipment and electrical
machinery, $91.11 million; plastics in primary
and non-primary forms, $82.32 million; organic
and inorganic chemical, $61.00 million; and non-ferous
metal, $44.19 million.
Aggregate payment for the country's top ten imports
for September 2004 reached to $2.679 billion or
76.6% of the total bill.
Imports from Japan accounting for 18.5% of the
total import bill, increased 2.8% to $672.97 million
from $654.82 million during the same period of
2003. On the other hand, exports to Japan, amounted
to $774.51 million yielding a two-way trade value
of $1.447 billion and a trade surplus for RP placed
at $101.53 million.
United States, the country's second biggest source
of imports with a 15.6% share, reported shipments
billed at $543.86 million against exports earnings
of $610.28 million. Total trade amounted to $1.154
billion, with a trade surplus for the Philippines
registered at $66.42 million.
Taiwan, followed as RP's third biggest source
of imports. With payments worth $302.67 million,
imports climbed 106.9% from $146.31 million, while
revenue from RP's exports reached $165.74 million
resulting to a total trade value of $468.41 million
and a $136.93 million deficit for Philippines.
Other major sources of imports for the month
of September were: Singapore, $268.14 million;
People's Republic of China, $242.21 million; Republic
of Korea, $208.94 million; Hong Kong, $163.14
million; Malaysia, $148.05 million; Thailand,
$109.16 million; and Indonesia, $94.26 million.
Payments for imports from the top ten sources
for the month amounted to $2.753 billion or 78.7%
of the total.
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