BOC applies stricter sanctions on erring workers

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is prepared to boot out any employee who violates the rules guiding the entry of regulated products.

Under Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 9-2015 dated April 10, bureau personnel who are caught requiring permits from importers and brokers for goods not included in the BOC’s so-called “regulated imports list” (RIL) will be dismissed from service, the agency said Friday.

CMO 9-2015 contains the guidelines on how the RIL should be implemented. BOC personnel refer to the regulated imports list when clearing imported products.

The list—which details the specific rules per product, product category and regulating agency—is available for download on the BOC’s website.

The agency will start the “strict enforcement” of the RIL’s complete and final version on May 4.

The agency noted that, under CMO 09-2015, “all importers of any regulated product are required to only submit import permits specifically indicated for each product in the imports list when filing import entries with the BOC.”

Also, the memorandum ordered BOC officials who are tasked to process any type of entries to not require the submission of import permits for products not included in the RIL. Noncompliance with this specific rule will be considered an act of grave offense, punishable by dismissal.

As for noncompliance with all other sections of the CMO, BOC personnel may be dismissed upon second offense.

CMO 09-2015 likewise mandated all importers of food and drinks, as well as drugs and pharmaceutical products, to first secure permits from any of the following agencies: Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Plant Industry, or Food and Drug Administration.

In the case of alcoholic drinks, permits must also be secured from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.