Bureau of Customs to link with 10 agencies by year-end

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs (BOC) targets to interconnect electronically its systems with 10 government agencies concerning international trade before the year ends.

This was bared by BOC deputy commissioner Alexander M. Arevalo to participants of Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) consultative meeting on the improvement of business environment.

“The President gave us P500 million about a month ago and she told us to connect 10 agencies before the end of the year. Hopefully, we should be able to interconnect the BoC with all these agencies, do transactions without cash, eliminate face-to-face transactions and also make sure that everything is done smoothly and efficiently,” he said.

Arevalo said they have started automating the agency’s imports and assessment system at the Batangas International Port few months ago.

He added it is now working to implement such system in the Manila International Container Port within the next two to three months.

“If that happens, we should be able to release shipments within 30 minutes,” he noted.

The BOC’s electronic-to-mobile (E2M) customs system is meant to streamline imports and exports processing and improve trade facilitation among BOC, other government agencies and its stakeholders.

E2M’s database Client Profile Registration System (CPRS) is currently facilitating an automated process of accreditation and registration of all exporters.

Arevalo said the E2M is geared towards the realization of the National Single Window (NSW) which aims to integrate electronically the agency’s operating systems nationwide and eventually with ASEAN.  

“We are now going to do the terms of reference for the NSW and hopefully, this is going to improve the way we do business,” he said. — Philexport News and Features