The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will shoulder overtime services rendered by Customs rank-and-file employees, including those at the ports of Subic and Clark, as prescribed under a memorandum issued last year, clarified a BOC executive.
Arturo Lachica, BOC deputy commissioner for the Internal Administration Group, in a letter to the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) dated May 25, said all BOC personnel holding the plantilla positions of division chiefs and below, including casual employees, “are authorized to claim overtime service with pay” under Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 14-2014.
“The corresponding authority has likewise been issued by the Office of the President,” Lachica added.
CMO 14-2014 was issued June last year by former Customs Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla prescribing guidelines on overtime services and their payment.
SCAD executive director Erlinda Pamintuan last April wrote Sevilla requesting that CMO 14-2014 be applied to Subic and Clark as well, since it has “effectively addressed the rendition of overtime services and payment by BOC personnel at all other ports.”
SCAD, in its letter, said the Subic Bay Maritime Technical Working Group has been aggressively promoting the Port of Subic as “a viable alternative for inbound and outbound shipments of companies in Central and Northern Luzon, and a more sustainable solution to the congestion in Metro Manila and its ports.”
There was some confusion over who will pay for OT services of BOC employees when new Subic collector General (ret) Bonifacio de Castro assumed office in March.
The volume at Subic port increased from 37,469 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2013 to 76,652 TEUs in 2014, noted SCAD, adding that “we continue to strive to make it easy and economical to ship through this port.”
The alliance also pointed out that since many of the shippers, particularly in the Freeport and economic zones, are manufacturers, “there are instances wherein the need for BOC personnel after 5 p.m. arises.”
CMO 14-2014 defines overtime work as services rendered beyond the eight hours of duty on regular work days, as well as service provided on rest days and holidays.
Recently, BOC-Subic instituted 24/7 operations following appeal from shippers and freight forwarders for uninterrupted service from the agency.
Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina has approved a round-the-clock work schedule at BOC Subic for processes involving all inbound and outbound cargoes, particularly in the x-ray, transshipment, and customs clearance areas (Tipo Gate).
SCAD’s Pamintuan said that prior to the port congestion in Manila, the volume at Subic port did not need 24/7 services by BOC. But with higher volume of shipments, overtime services has become pressing, she added. – Roumina Pablo
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