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The Bureau of Customs and Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department have conducted a joint validation visit to pave the way for the signing of the mutual recognition agreement between the two parties under their Authorized Economic Operator programs
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The joint validation visit conducted on June 18 at the Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. site in Sta. Rosa, Laguna
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The joint validation visit aims to determine the compatibility of each party’s AEO Program
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BOC and HKCED convened to discuss their MRA, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations, streamline procedures, and finalize the domestic clearances for the signing of the PH-HK MRA Text on AEO
The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (HKCED) recently conducted a joint validation visit to pave the way for the signing of a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between the two parties under their Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs.
The joint validation visit conducted on June 18 at the Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) site in Sta. Rosa, Laguna is in line with the Philippines-Hong Kong Joint Action Plan on AEO MRA signed on November 30, 2023, BOC said in a statement.
The joint validation visit aims to determine the compatibility of each party’s AEO Program.
An MRA refers to a formal document between two or more customs administrations outlining the circumstances and conditions for recognizing and accepting the AEO programs of the signing parties.
The AEO Program is a partnership pursued globally by customs administrations to secure and facilitate trade by providing incentives to traders working jointly with customs administrations to improve supply chain security. BOC launched its AEO Program in December 2019 in compliance with the country’s commitment to the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade.
TMPC is the first importer to be granted an AEO Level 1 accreditation under BOC’s AEO Program and also one of the three currently accredited under Level 2. The two others are Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc., and Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corp.
Sony Philippines, Inc., meanwhile, was the fourth company granted with Level 1 accreditation.
BOC said during the visit, TMPC presented its operations and compliance to AEO program criteria, including comprehensive record-keeping, advanced IT systems, robust personnel management, and stringent physical access controls.
Following the successful validation, BOC and HKCED convened to discuss their MRA, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations, streamline procedures, and finalize the domestic clearances for the signing of the PH-HK MRA Text on AEO.
On June 19, BOC and HKCDE presented to Customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio the outcome of the 2nd Working Group Meeting for the PH-HK AEO MRA. The presentation outlined the key results of their collaborative efforts and set a timeline for the full implementation of the MRA.
BOC earlier said MRAs serve as a platform for AEO programs to provide additional benefits to their members through international recognition with partner countries.
