The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has automatically extended all accredited service providers’ Letters of Authority (LOA) expiring during the enhanced community quarantine period (ECQ) in Luzon.
The automatic extension of expiring LOA covers those of customs brokers, freight forwarders, truckers/haulers, and those servicing PEZA-enterprises in the Visayas and Mindanao, according to Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2020-0017 dated March 25 and signed by PEZA director general Charito Plaza.
The automatic extension, however, is subject to the same terms and conditions of their existing LOAs, and to certain conditions depending on the service provider.
For customs brokers and freight forwarders, LOA validity is extended until June 30, 2020, provided their respective licenses as customs broker and freight forwarder issued by the respective regulatory-issuing government agency are valid within the said period.
For truckers/haulers, validity of their LOAs is also extended until June 30, 2020, provided their respective franchise/provisional authority issued by the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board is valid within the said period.
Corresponding applications for renewal of the LOAs which expired during the period of ECQ in Luzon should be submitted to PEZA within 15 days from the lifting of the ECQ. If the ECQ is implemented in Visayas and Mindanao or in certain areas there, applications for renewal of LOA should also be filed within 15 days from lifting of the ECQ.
Those which already received their LOAs during the ECQ via email may pay the franchise fee and submit proof of payment of the surety bond within seven days from ECQ lifting. An Order of Payment will be issued to the enterprise via email.
“The service enterprises shall render PEZA free and harmless from liability, responsibility, claims or payment resulting from their operations including that of their employees, including any liability in the event of any issues arising in case the service enterprise continued to handle PEZA clients even without a valid license from its regulatory-issuing government agency,” MC 2020-0017 noted.
Further, all zone administrators and zone managers/officers-in-charge are directed to suspend the requirement for PEZA stickers in their respective economic zones until 15 days from the official lifting of the ECQ, in order to ensure the unhampered movement of goods.
Meanwhile, PEZA on March 23 has resumed operations in the Cavite Economic Zone (CEZ) after continuous consultation with stakeholders and authorities.
READ: PEZA suspends business activity at CEZ, but allows cargo entry and exit
Plaza said that “the resumption order aims to attain PEZA’s overall goal of business continuity so as not to cripple the economy during this period. We are thinking of the employment of more than 60,000 Filipino workers and maintaining our economy amidst surviving crisis caused by COVID-19.”
PEZA on March 19 suspended operations at CEZ I and II due to the reported cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections and of persons under investigation/ monitoring in communities near the zones.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
