Senate President Franklin Drilon called for the immediate passage of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), saying it will simplify customs procedures and improve operational efficiency at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
The coming holidays will be merrier if gifts and balikbayan (personal effects) boxes make it to their recipients in time for Christmas, something that does not happen often, according to Drilon.
To address this problem, the Senate leader said Congress must act on the proposed CMTA, which seeks “to institute electronic processing of import and export, simplify the customs procedure for ordinary citizens, and increase the operating flexibility of the Bureau of Customs.”
According to Drilon, a key feature of the proposed measure is the overhaul and automation of BOC’s export and import procedures. The reformat, he said, will speed up current custom procedures, limit human interface in customs transactions, and foster transparency and accountability.
“Yearly, many Filipinos with loved ones in other countries deal with the cumbersome process of trying to claim gifts or packages which are stuck at the ports, because the BOC personnel could not immediately attend to the inspection, monitoring, and clearance, thus creating a wave of delays,” Drilon said in a statement.
“That will be addressed in the bill. More than creating ease for the business industry, the modernization will benefit millions of ordinary Filipinos who suffer from the inefficiencies in the handling of incoming and outgoing goods,” he said.
The Senate leader said the bill will also help eradicate smuggling and other criminal activities that take place during customs processing, noting that in 2013 alone, government losses to smuggling operations amounted to an estimated P200 billion in revenues.
In an automated system, Drilon said opportunities for smuggling will be minimized: “By upgrading to electronic processing, not only are we able to make the importation and exportation procedures faster and more effective, we are also reducing human intervention, thus, thwarting any chance for anyone to strike illegal deals or transactions.”
Drilon added that the proposed measure will complement government efforts to decongest ports.
The bill, currently being heard by the Senate at the committee level, is part of a package of economic reforms the upper chamber is determined to pass soonest as the establishment of the ASEAN 2015 Economic Community nears.
At the Lower House, Marikina Representative and chairman of the committee on ways and means Romero Quimbo earlier assured the passage of the CMTA bill by his committee on Oct 28. This did not happen.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
