BOC seizes 300 cylinders of refrigerant from China

CEBU, Philippines —  The Bureau of Customs-Port of Cebu has seized 300 cylinders of refrigerant gas containing trifluoromethane for lack of prior importation clearance.

Under DENR-EMB Memorandum Circular No. 2005-03, importation of alternatives to ozone-depleting substances such as trifluoromethane must be covered with Pre-Shipment Importation Clearance prior to its entry into the Philippine territory.

Due to absence of prior importation clearance, BOC-Cebu district collector Charlito Martin R. Mendoza immediately issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment based on Section 117 in relation to Section 1113 (F) and (L-5) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

“The seized goods are now under the custody of the Port and shall be disposed accordingly after the finality of the forfeiture proceedings,” said BOC-Port of Cebu in their Facebook post.

The post added that under the leadership of BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, the bureau continues to intensify its border protection measures to prevent the entry of products hazardous to the environment. The shipment arrived in Cebu from China last week.

Meanwhile, BOC-Port of Cebu passed last May 12, 2022 the first onsite External Audit for its application for ISO 9001:2015 Certification.

The team from TÜV SÜD Philippines that conducted the audit evaluated the conformity of the Port’s management system’s documented information with the standard requirements and its preparedness for ISO Certification.

TÜV SÜD Lead Auditor  Adorable Aguila, in the closing conference, reported that the Port satisfied the requirements of the first audit, citing areas for improvement and noting no critical concerns.

Mendoza has acknowledged the collective effort of the Port’s top management, process owners, document controllers, the local ISO Secretariat, and the internal auditors of the BOC Interim Internal Quality Management System Office (IIQMSO) for the successful audit.

He also thanked Guerrero for the full support of the central office to the Port of Cebu through all stages of preparation.

Under Guerrero’s leadership, undergoing third-party certification is among the priority programs of the bureau to deliver excellent services to the public by streamlining and standardizing its frontline transactions.

The BOC-Port of Cebu shall advance to the second and final stage of the external audit scheduled in June.

Upon completion of the audits, the Port of Cebu will become the first collection district in the country to have all ISO-certified district port and subports.

The Subports of Dumaguete and Mactan were the first to be conferred the international quality stamp in 2020 and 2021, respectively. — FPL (FREEMAN)