The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has fast-tracked the entry of 189 shipments of imported medical and emergency goods while it awaited the donation of one million masks from a Bataan freeport locator.
Customs officials in Mariveles are on standby for the donation of MedTecs, a locator at the Bataan freeport which produces masks. “Initial information from appraiser is one million masks,” Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero told Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III on Friday (March 20).
Guerrero was citing a report by Miko Vargas, Customs collector at the Port of Limay in Bataan.
“We have received advance notice already and I have instructed the sub-port of Mariveles an absolute ‘do not delay’ and maximum accommodation in accordance to guidelines and memos released in the past days regarding processing of donations,” Vargas said in a report to Guerrero.
“I also gave instructions to enforcement and security service personnel if needed to escort the items up to its intended delivery locations,” the report said.
In a separate report, Guerrero told Dominguez that the BOC facilitated in the last 10 days the easier entry of medical supplies through the Port of Clark, Manila International Container Port (MICP) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
“All the ports were directed to ensure the continuous and unhampered delivery of goods and services, especially shipments that are needed to address this emergency such as face masks, personal protective equipment, and other medical supplies,” Guerrero reported to Dominguez.
“In ports located in areas under enhanced community quarantine, the port collectors were directed to maintain a skeletal work force to monitor and expedite the processing and release of medical and emergency supplies,” Guerrero said.
“The cargoes also include surgical masks, dust masks, pharmaceuticals, reagent kits, goggles, gloves, disposable particulate respirators, digital thermometers, infrared thermometers, and fire protection cloth,” the Department of Finance (DOF) said in a statement on Friday.
“More supplies for frontline workers are expected to arrive in the Philippines over the next few weeks,” the DOF added.
This week, the BOC moved to provide provisional goods declaration for relief consignment under a state of calamity, which President Rodrigo Duterte declared last Tuesday (March 17) while the country fought the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guerrero last Wednesday (March 18) issued a memo to ease the process of releasing donated goods for COVID-19 relief.
Those who would declare donated goods for entry in the Philippines for COVID-19 relief need only to make sure that the recipient is a government agency, like the Department of Health.
The consignee must commit to submit all documents within 45 days after the shipments’ release and distribute the goods only after Food and Drug Administration or other agencies’ clearance if required.
Documents that could be submitted later included tax exemption indorsement from DOF.
Guerrero said donations for COVID-19 will not be charged duties and taxes and “shall be considered as relief consignment.”
“The district collector shall immediately clear the goods for release to the consignee upon receipt of the undertaking,” Guerrero said.
The DOF said the BOC would establish the Philippine International Humanitarian Assistance Reception Center One-Stop Shop (PIHARC-OSS) “as facilitator of imports of testing kits, medical supplies and other products essential to the country’s battle against COVID-19.”
The PIHARC-OSS will operate 24 hours a day “during the entire response period and will be responsible for the expedited release of testing kits, medical supplies and similar goods from Customs custody,” the DOF said.
The PIHARC-OSS would be composed of representatives from the DOH, FDA, DOF, Department of Social Welfare and Development,m Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of National Defense and Department of Agriculture, according to Guerrero.