BOC,
tanker operators formalize advance cargo info arrangement
THE government's campaign against
oil smuggling gained ground following the signing of
a memorandum of agreement last week between the Bureau
of Customs (BOC) and petroleum tanker vessel operators
who agreed to submit advance Inward Foreign Manifest
(IFM) of their cargoes before sailing to the Philippines.
"Any oil shipment without the advance IFM would
be summarily seized by the BOC as smuggled," Customs
commissioner Alexander Arevalo said.Signed by Arevalo
and Philippine Ship Agents Association president Rogelio
Salonga, the agreement will stop the practice of misdeclaration
of oil shipments to avoid payment of taxes and duties.Oil
imports account for about 15% of BOC's total tax collection.The
advance IFM shall be submitted through a secure electronic
means to the BOC commissioner and the district collector
36 hours prior to the estimated arrival of the tanker
at the port of entry.
In the past, Arevalo said some tankers unloaded their
oil shipments on the high seas to waiting barges for
delivery to small oil players. This has resulted in
the loss of hundreds of millions of pesos in government
revenues.Arevalo said another measure against oil smuggling
would soon be implemented. The measure requires all
oil shipments to use colorless dye before they are refined
into finished products. "This will ensure that
taxes and duties have been paid," he added.
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has started
tightening inspection of shipments suspected to contain
sub-standard products manufactured abroad. The bureau
has directed its examiners to test all incoming shipments
to deter entry of such products.
The directive follows reports that cheap and low-quality
foreign products have flooded the local market not only
to the detriment of Filipino retailers but also of consumers."Many
consumers are deluded into buying imported products
because of their very cheap prices and without realizing
these items do not last very long because of their poor
quality," the BOC added.
The Bureau of Product Standards and the Philippine Product
Safety and Quality Foundation will provide BOC a list
of products subject to strict inspection and testing.Meanwhile,
additional products have been included in the Asean
General System of Preferences, also known as the Asean
Integration System of Preference (AISP).
Malaca–ang recently modified the import duty rates
on certain articles as part of the AISP package of the
Philippines.Included in the AISP are plants and parts
of plants, including seeds and fruits, of a kind used
primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal,
fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh or dried, whether
or not cut, crushed or powdered; vegetable products
not elsewhere specified or included; and wood sawn or
chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not
planed, sanded or end-jointed.
THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina)
will continue to monitor the books of troubled local
carrier Negros Navigation (Nenaco) even if the company
reported profits for the first half of the year.Marina
said Nenaco should justify how it reached such growth
despite limited operation capabilities, and if such
is in accordance with projections stated in the rehabilitation
program obtained by the carrier from a Manila court
in October 2004.
Since last year, Marina has tightened its watch over
the country's oldest carrier when it experienced severe
illiquidity forcing it to file for bankruptcy.Under
the 10-year rehabilitation program, Nenaco is required
to submit a quarterly report of its financial condition
to Marina.The program stretches Nenaco's short-term
obligations to long-term obligations as well as stopped
payment of its debts until it has enough funds to pay
creditors.
Nenaco is set to report some P150 million in profits
since the start of its rehabilitation program, a complete
reversal from the time when almost its entire fleet
was operational.To date, only five of nine ships in
the Nenaco fleet are in operation. Of the four non-operating
vessels, two are undergoing drydocking and the rest
waiting for repairs.
Earlier, Marina returned the first financial statement
submitted by Nenaco since it did now show actual figures
against projections under the rehabilitation program."We
want to see actual figures against figures posted in
their court-approved rehabilitation program," said
Marina head executive assistant Antero Pe–asales.Last
year, Marina suspended for three days the permits of
Nenaco vessels after learning of the company's illiquidity."We
have to ensure that Nenaco is liquid enough to maintain
the seaworthiness of their vessels as well as able to
meet their obligations in times of crisis," Pe–asales
added.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)
is upgrading the port of Caticlan in Aklan to accommodate
the increasing passenger and cargo traffic passing through
the area.It said the current facility is now too crowded
for both roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) vessels carrying passengers
and cargoes to and from the area and the motorized bancas
ferrying passengers to the world-famous Boracay island.
The project, when completed within one year, will separate
ro-ro operations and the passage services rendered by
vessels resulting in better efficiency and productivity
at the port.PPA assistant general manager for corporate
and special projects Raul Santos said the project involves
construction of a ro-ro ramp, reclamation, and installation
of lighting system.
Santos said the new structure is also designed for bigger
and larger ro-ro vessels plying the Strong Republic
Nautical Highway (SRNH).Since being connected to the
SRNH in 2003, the port registered a 475% growth in its
first year of operations from an almost flat growth
registered a year earlier. Rolling cargoes contributed
to the bulk of the increase.Vessel frequency also increased
four-fold since the birth of the SRNH. There are now
about four ro-ro operators plying the Roxas, Mindoro-Caticlan,
Aklan route docking at the port twice a day. Additional
frequency is expected in the future due to the rapid
increase in cargo and passage traffic in the area.Cargo
traffic last year increased 20% while passenger traffic
also shot up 26% from 339,434 in 2003 to 428,755 last
year.
