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Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. has been granted Level 1 accreditation under the Bureau of Customs’ Authorized Economic Operator Program
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Level 1 benefits include exemption from renewal of accreditation, self-assessment, and a dedicated help desk
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SEPCO is the eighth company accredited under the AEO Program
Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO) has been granted Level 1 accreditation under the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Program.
SEPCO joins other AEO members Toyota Motors Philippines Corp., Panasonic Manufacturing Corp., and Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines, Inc.; Sony Philippines, Inc.; Brother Industries (Phils.), Inc.– which are all under Level 2 accreditation – and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and I.E. Medica, Inc., which are also under Level 1.
Aside from these eight, there are other companies that have been issued with pre-screening certificates, which meant they demonstrated their readiness to apply for Level 1 accreditation.
READ: Mitsubishi Motors joins BOC’s AEO program, Sony gets upgrade
With the accreditation, SEPCO will be granted Level 1 benefits under Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 09-2020 or the guidelines for the pilot implementation of the AEO program for importers and exporters, according to Office of the Commissioner (OCOM) Memo No. 50-2026 dated April 22.
BOC in December 2019 launched its AEO Program in compliance with the country’s commitment to the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade.
The AEO Program represents a customs-to-business partnership that seeks to enhance international supply chain security and facilitate movement of legitimate goods. Implementation of the AEO program in the Philippines became possible in 2016 with the passage of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Once granted, accreditation under the AEO Program will last until suspended, revoked, or cancelled through voluntary withdrawal.
As an AEO Level 1 member, SEPCO will be exempted from renewal of accreditation under any customs accreditation system.
READ: BOC exempts Level 1 AEO members from e-TRACC system
In lieu of the annual renewal of accreditation, AEO members are only required to periodically update their information and corresponding documentary requirements pursuant to membership responsibilities of an AEO under CMO No. 09-2020.
AEO members with a satisfactory system for managing their trade documents may be allowed by BOC to use their trade documents to self-assess their duty and tax liability, where appropriate, to ensure compliance with other customs requirements. For this purpose, information declared by an AEO member in its goods declaration based on its self-assessment will be accepted by BOC.
A dedicated help desk will also be provided to assist SEPCO on any customs-related concerns. AEO members will also be accorded recognition by BOC as trusted trade partners.
The AEO Office may motu proprio consider upgrading a Level 1 member to Level 2 or 3, depending on the AEO’s degree of compliance with the requirements of accreditation.
AEO members are, however, still subject to post-clearance audits to ensure compliance.
For now, only importers and exporters may seek accreditation for the AEO program but the BOC has said it is committed to expanding the program to other stakeholders in the supply chain, including freight forwarders, customs brokers, manufacturers, carriers and warehouses.
Interim AEO Office head Atty. Jenny Diokno earlier said the agency has drafted an executive order that will transition members of BOC’s Super Green Lane (SGL) Facility to become accredited under the AEO program. The intention is for the AEO program to eventually replace the SGL Facility.
