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Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno ordered to streamline procedures for the discharge and clearance of imported rice shipments at all ports
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The directive is in response to the request of Philippine Rice Importers Association, Inc. president Raffy Herrera through a letter last March to prioritize the discharge of rice import shipments tagged in the “red lane” of BOC’s selectivity system
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Effective January 18, 2026, rice imports, both containerized and bulk shipments, were routed to the orange lane instead of the red lane to facilitate processing while maintaining the necessary level of control
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has ordered to streamline procedures for the discharge and clearance of imported rice shipments at all ports.
The directive is in response to the request of Philippine Rice Importers Association, Inc. president Raffy Herrera through a letter last March to prioritize the discharge of imported rice tagged in the “red lane” of BOC’s selectivity system, according to Office of the Commissioner Memo No. 55-2026.
The selectivity system refers to the use of risk-based color channeling to manage risks and allow the agency to “allocate its scarce resources to the high-risk areas while increasing the efficiency of the clearance process for low-risk shipments.”
Shipments tagged under the red lane are considered high-risk cargoes and are subject to x-ray scanning and physical examination.
In view of the request, Nepomuceno directed all BOC collection districts to implement streamlined procedures for the discharge and clearance of rice shipments. These measures must ensure operational efficiency while maintaining strict adherence to existing customs laws, rules, and regulations.
READ: Bataan port added to entry points for milled rice imports
Earlier, the Risk Management Office, which oversees BOC’s selectivity system, said it implemented appropriate controls on the selectivity classification of rice import shipments and that effective January 18, 2026, both containerized and bulk rice shipments were adjusted from the red lane to the orange lane to facilitate processing while maintaining the necessary level of control.
The orange lane is assigned to medium- to high-risk cargoes and will have to pass through x-ray scanning. Once the image is found to be suspicious, the goods will be subjected to physical examination.
RMO added rice shipments from February 23 to March 8 were routed to the orange lane and none were tagged under the red lane.
READ: Guidelines out on rice import duty adjustments effective Jan
Importation of milled rice resumed this year after it was suspended from September to December 2025.— Roumina Pablo
