INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA -The Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) have teamed up for a data-sharing initiative to ramp up the efficiency and security of trade and economic zone operations in the Philippines.
This partnership, which involves the Data Sharing Agreement for access to the Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo (E-TRACC) System, is touted as a groundbreaking collaboration that is expected to ease the flow of goods by streamlining the flow of data between BOC and Peza.
Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said in a statement that the E-TRACC System, introduced through Customs Memorandum Order No. 04-2020, has been instrumental in real-time monitoring of containerized goods’ inland movements.
The BOC is mandated to oversee the handling, custody, and delivery of goods at all ports of entry into the country.
Meanwhile, Peza is responsible for regulating, supervising, and facilitating business operations within economic zones. Through the data-sharing agreement, Peza will gain access to BOC’s E-TRACC System data, enabling real-time monitoring of containerized goods and individuals within and outside economic zones.
Rubio said this partnership promises to enhance efficiency, transparency, and security in cargo transportation to and from these zones.
Key provisions of the agreement focus on data privacy, security, storage, and retention of confidential information.
“We firmly believe that sharing secured data with Peza will enable us to coordinate our efforts and drive collective improvements toward seamless trade facilitation. Surely, this will pave the way for improved day-to-day operations and will further buttress our trade facilitation performance,” Rubio said.
Echoing this, Peza Director General Tereso O. Panga said, “we subscribe to the BOC’s objectives of trade facilitation as our way of enhancing the competitiveness of the Philippines for trade and investments. To do this, we believe that digitalization is the key, increased adoption of automation, so that we can enhance our ease of doing business and facilitate even more the movement of cargoes of our locators.”