The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will be open for operations on Saturdays and Sundays at the Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port starting on June 28, 2014 and every succeeding weekend until further notice. This is to help decongest major ports located in the City of Manila, which had breached maximum port utilization levels, the bureau said in a press statement.
On weekends, brokers and importers can file import entries; have their importations assessed and valuated; and secure clearance for the release of the cargo.
Operating hours will be from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Personnel from the Import Assessment Services will likewise be on weekend duty to address valuation concerns. Additional examiners will be deployed, along with stand-by personnel complement from x-ray inspection, to expedite the release of cargo with paid customs duties and taxes.
District Collectors of the Port of Manila (POM) and the Manila International Container Port (MICP) are also working with private port operators Asian Terminals, Inc. and the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. to identify consignees that have shipments that have been cleared for release by BOC but still remain inside the ports. These container vans unnecessarily add to the congestion at the Manila ports.
Aside from the extended operating hours of the two BOC ports in Manila—the country’s largest in terms of volume and revenue collections, the BOC will also extend operations at ports and sub-ports handling shipments of locators of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
The Department of Finance (DOF) ordered Manila and Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon) customs offices handling PEZA shipments to adjust their operations from 7:00am to 7:00pm, seven days a week.
Under DOF Department Order No. 045-2014 dated June 26 and signed by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, the extension of office hours applies to the following ports:
- Ninoy Aquino International Airport
- Manila International Container Port
- Port of Manila
- Customs offices in economic zones located in Calabarzon
PEZA deputy director general Tereso Panga told PortCalls the move will “make import export flow seamless or at least systematic since BOC can now align itself with the PEZA 24/7 processing/releasing in the zones/ports.”
The extended operating hours is already in effect in the Calabarzon customs offices.
For other offices, the extended operating hours will begin on the date identified by the Customs Commissioner.
The order also specifies that the Bureau of Customs should coordinate with the Land Bank of the Philippines and other relevant banks to ensure bank services are made available during the extended hours.
Image courtesy of renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
