As prescribed under the new Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Davao has begun implementing a new system that simplifies the monitoring and clearance of balikbayan (personal effects) boxes entering the Philippines.
The Balikbayan Box Monitoring System (BBMS) is designed to simplify the clearance procedures for balikbayan boxes and ensure that the principles, standards, and regulations set are strictly followed.
BOC-Davao launched BBMS on August 1 following completion of the system’s setup and personnel training, the customs bureau said in a statement. The BBMS was also rolled out to coincide with the enforcement of the policy under the CMTA that allows overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Filipinos residing abroad to send balikbayan boxes to the Philippines duty- and tax-free.
Customs Administrative Order No. 05-2016, which implements CMTA provisions on balikbayan boxes, directs the use of information communications technology to process, monitor, and control balikbayan boxes.
The BBMS allows information about overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) balikbayan boxes to be electronically available to authorized customs officers. BOC said this means that the number of balikbayan boxes sends during the year, and the total amount of the boxes are properly monitored.
The system also allows information to be retrieved quickly since the data filled by the OFW in the required information sheets are stored digitally.
The BBMS was developed by the Systems Development Division of BOC’s Management Information System and Technology Group, the group tasked to execute the information systems intended to help the bureau deliver faster service while still adhering to the best practices set by the law.
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