The Bureau of Customs (BOC) continues to allow online filing of goods declaration and submission of goods declarations for warehousing, customs transit, and documents for export processing.
Customs commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, in Office of the Commissioner (OCOM) Memorandum No. 115-2020 and 116-2020 both dated June 2, said the online filing of goods declaration, as well as online filing and submission of goods declaration and documents for warehousing, customs transit, and documents for export processing “remain operative.”
At the height of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the BOC in March issued OCOM Memo 61-2020 providing guidelines on the online filing of goods declaration, an option for stakeholders whose movements are restricted by ECQ. The order covers interim implementation of the online filing of goods declaration in all collection districts involving goods declaration processed at the Formal Entry Division, Informal Entry Division, or their equivalent units.
BOC on April 7 also issued OCOM Memo 79-2020 on the online filing and submission of goods declaration for customs transit; OCOM Memo 80-2020 (guidelines for the online filing and submission of goods declaration for warehousing and the processing during ECQ); and OCOM Memo 82-2020 (online submission of documents for export processing).
OCOM Memo 115-2020 amends Section 4.2 of OCOM Memo 61-2020. That same section now states that stakeholders who avail of the online filing for goods declaration have three days from online filing to submit the original copy of the supporting documents uploaded in BOC’s Customer Care Portal System (CCPS), including the notarized undertaking.
OCOM 116-2020, on the other hand, stated that the online filing and submission of goods declaration and documents under OCOM Memos 79, 80, and 82-2020 remain operative. For stakeholders availing of the online filing and submission, the submission of hard copies or the original copy of the documents must be made within three days from online filing of goods declaration or online submission of documents, the order said.
BOC assistant commissioner and spokesperson Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla in a recent online update said the customs bureau “will no longer shift to a manual system and will maintain online systems.”
Maronilla said BOC discourages face-to-face transactions and is gearing towards online transactions not just protect the health and safety of Customs employees and stakeholders, but also to “protect the integrity of the entire process” of the customs bureau.
BOC last May said it will implement more information and communications technology projects that will speed up trade facilitation, strengthen border security, and protect government revenues in response to the “new normal” brought by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
These systems include the online inventory management system for off-dock container yard/container freight stations, online inventory management system for customs bonded warehouses, online payment of customs fees such as processing fee for registration of importers and customs brokers, a passenger customs clearance system at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo, and the continuous stabilization of its Electronic-to-Mobile system.
READ: BOC’s P5.5B modernization program closer to reality
The P5.5-billion Philippines Customs Modernization Project proposed by the World Bank was also recently approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Board. The project seeks to improve efficiency of Customs and reduce trade costs. – Roumina Pablo
Does this online goods declaration filing also cover for imports? The article does not state explicitly if I am not mistaken. Thank you.
It does.
Comments are closed.