-
The Bureau of Customs seized smuggled goods worth about P24.28 billion for 2022
-
The collection stemmed from 709 seizures, including of illegal drugs amounting to P11.95 billion; counterfeit goods, P7.69 billion; and agricultural products, P1.87 billion
-
200 Letters of Authority were implemented and 193 alert orders issued last year
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized P24.28 billion in smuggled goods in 2022, the agency said in a statement.
The collection stemmed from a total of 709 seizures, including of illegal drugs amounting to P11.95 billion; counterfeit goods, P7.69 billion; and agricultural products, P1.87 billion, the Intelligence Group and Enforcement Group reported. No details were provided for the P2.77-billion gap.
All importations of agricultural commodities, except those selected under the Super Green Lane Facility, are identified as high-risk commodities, BOC said, resulting in 137 seizures.
In addition, 200 Letters of Authority were implemented in 2022, of which 109 yielded positive results.
Alert orders totalling 193 were also issued, 120 of which were positive for violating pertinent customs laws, rules, and regulations.
RMO-targeted shipments
As for the other high-risk shipments that resulted in the issuance of Warrant and Seizure and Detention (WSD), 88.8% were shipments targeted by the Risk Management Office (RMO) for non-intrusive and physical inspection, BOC said, and is a result of the bureau’s improved Risk Management System (RMS) that intensified its intelligence and enforcement capabilities.
Under the RMS, the Offense Management System was implemented to enhance the BOC’s risk assessment and profiling to support risk management.
READ: BOC introduces system for tracking of seized, forfeited goods
A Compliance Track Record is also being maintained, which prioritizes the targeting of high-risk importers while facilitating low-risk shipments.
In addition, the BOC implemented the automated listing linked from the Client Profile Registration System, allowing automatic storing of applications of importers and customs brokers upon approval by the Account Management Office. The automation eliminates manual uploading of company profiles in the RMS.
Lastly, the BOC launched the National Customs Intelligence System (NCIS). The web portal acts as a secure data warehouse of intelligence information from the intelligence and enforcement offices of the agency. The system enables the generation of reports from these offices for a seamless, transparent, and comprehensive decision-making analysis resulting to a more responsive border control policy.
