BOC earns P555.4M from auction of overstaying containers in 2021

0
879
Image by Wolfgang Schröpfer from Pixabay
  • The Bureau of Customs disposed of a total of 2,407 overstaying containers in 2021 through condemnation and public auction
  • Auctioned off were 1,257 containers of assorted goods, generating revenues of P555.444 million
  • The remaining 1,150 containers of worthless articles were condemned or destroyed

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) disposed of a total of 2,407 overstaying containers in 2021 through condemnation and public auction.

Of the total, 1,257 containers of assorted items such as rice and galvanized steel were auctioned off, resulting in additional revenues of P555.444 million, BOC said in a statement.

The remaining 1,150 containers of used clothing, rotten foodstuff, used oil, used furniture, and other valueless used articles were condemned or destroyed.

Cargoes overstaying for more than 30 days from the date of discharge and not withdrawn on time will be tagged abandoned. Once abandonment is decreed final, BOC will determine the proper disposition of the cargoes.

Under Section 1141 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, goods for disposition may be donated, declared for official use by BOC, or sold in a public auction. Goods suitable for shelter or consisting of foodstuff, clothing materials, or medicines may be donated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

BOC noted that disposing of overstaying containers “also resulted in the efficient trade facilitation by eliminating port and yard congestion, and ensuring the smooth flow of business within the agency.”

In 2020, BOC said it disposed of a total of 3,514 overstaying containers and collected P1.1 billion in revenues from auction proceeds.