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The Bureau of Customs established an office tasked to develop, coordinate, implement and monitor the agency’s international partnerships and cooperation programs
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Customs Memorandum Order No. 16-2026 creates the Customs International Affairs Office, while renaming the existing External Affairs Office into the International Customs Coordination Division
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The organizational restructuring reflects BOC’s “commitment to strengthening its international affairs framework, aligning its organizational structure with evolving international customs practices”
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The CIAO will be headed by a director while the ICCD, its operating division, will be led by a chief and an assistant chief
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has established an office tasked to develop, coordinate, implement and monitor the agency’s international partnerships and cooperation programs.
BOC through Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 16-2026 has created the Customs International Affairs Office (CIAO), while renaming the existing External Affairs Office into the International Customs Coordination Division (ICCD), which will be under the supervision of the CIAO.
The CMO noted that the organizational restructuring reflects BOC’s “commitment to strengthening its international affairs framework, aligning its organizational structure with evolving international customs practices, and enhancing the role to support broader and more strategic international customs cooperation and external engagements.”
As international trade and customs administration continue to evolve within an increasingly interconnected global environment, the CMO said BOC “must maintain effective and sustained engagement with international organizations, diplomatic missions, development partners, foreign business organizations, and other international stakeholders.”
Trade facilitation, border security
It added that such engagement “is essential to advancing customs modernization, promoting trade facilitation, strengthening border security, enhancing institutional capacity, fostering international cooperation, and ensuring the effective implementation of the Philippines’ commitments under international customs and trade agreements.”
The CIAO will oversee the programs, initiatives, and collaborative activities involving foreign governments, customs administrations, international organizations, diplomatic missions, development partners, foreign business organizations, international industry associations, and other foreign and international stakeholders, through the ICCD.
Under the supervision of CIAO, the ICCD is tasked to coordinate with concerned BOC offices on matters involving international agreements, technical cooperation, foreign-assisted projects, international meetings, conferences, and other international engagements to ensure a coordinated and consistent BOC position and the effective implementation of such initiatives.
The CIAO will be headed by a director while the ICCD, its operating division, will be led by a chief and an assistant chief.
All concerned offices of the BOC are directed to extend full cooperation to CIAO and ICCD and where appropriate, coordinate proposed international, bilateral, and multilateral engagements, initiatives and activities with CIAO to ensure policy consistency, proper documentation, and effective implementation.
Aside from the CIAO, the BOC also established this year the following as part of its transformation program:
- Overseas Filipino Workers Affairs and Partnership to handle matters involving overseas Filipino workers and balikbayan affairs;
- CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives) Response Team to act as first responders during CBRNE incidents within customs jurisdiction and territory;
- Top Importers Office as the agency’s dedicated facilitation unit for top importers, exporters, and third parties engaged in customs-related operations
- Project Management Office and Customs Policy and Issuance Office to manage its programs and projects for modernization, while also reactivating its Compliance Monitoring Unit to check compliance of its various offices with customs laws, regulations, and issuances.—Roumina Pablo
