The Philippines ranked second-best among Southeast Asian (ASEAN) nations in the 2023 United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation following the Bureau of Customs (BOC)’s progress in modernizing customs administration.
The Philippines moved up from the third spot in 2021, scoring 87.10 percent in the 2023 survey.
The survey, jointly conducted by various UN bodies, covers over 160 economies around the globe and 60 digital and sustainable trade facilitation measures to help countries benchmark and reduce the time and cost of trading across borders.
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the impressive achievement showed the relentless commitment of Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio and his team to transform the BOC into a world-class customs agency.
“The BOC has never been as sophisticated and modern as before because of new initiatives under the Marcos administration,” Diokno said.
The BOC so far digitalized 160 out of 166 customs processes, garnering a 96.39-percent digitalization rate.
There is currently one system launched for operation, two systems ready for implementation, and three systems being developed for efficient customs services.
The BOC on Nov. 21, 2023, the BOC unveiled the e-Travel System, which is a single platform available in the eGoV application to provide passengers and crew members the convenience of the electronic submission of their baggage declaration form prior to their arrival and departure. It will optimize border control, enhance health surveillance, and facilitate economic data analysis.
The project was a joint effort with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Meanwhile, the BOC’s Automated Export Declaration System (AEDS) and Customs Auction Monitoring System (e-Auction System) are now ready for implementation.
The AEDS facilitates the electronic submission or transmission of all authorized export declaration-single administrative documents lodged electronically by registered exporters to the BOC through BOC-accredited value-added service providers.
The e-Auction System enables users across all ports to manage online registration and bidding activities through a web portal.
The systems under development include the e-Service Catalog System, the Document Management System (DMS), and the Over Staying Container Tracking System (OSTracker).
The e-Service Catalog System is an internal online application system designed for the General Services Division to streamline the provision of goods and essential services to various ports and groups.
The DMS captures, tracks and stores electronic documents like PDFs and word processing files. The OSTracker is a monitoring system that provides updated data on the disposition activities such as auctions, condemnation, donation, etc. of all ports. Its pilot implementation started on October 25, 2023.
“Digitalizing customs processes increases the Bureau’s overall efficiency and minimizes discretion. Now, our stakeholders can easily comply with our requirements, allowing us to facilitate a secure, transparent, and competitive customs bureau as envisioned by our President. I commend the BOC for their outstanding performance in this area,” Diokno said.
Apart from the modernization initiatives, the BOC has strengthened collaboration and partnership with various agencies to further enhance trade facilitation.