The Bureau of Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport has started distributing flyers and pamphlets in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to provide information to travelers on existing Customs laws, rules and regulations on importing goods and clearance procedures at the airport.
The bureau came up with the information drive as the government decided to gradually resume a number of international flights intended for the holiday season.
NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan said the ‘BOC Guidelines on Arriving Travelers’ pamphlets provide basic information when duty and taxes are due, prohibited goods, documentary requirements for regulated goods, clearance procedures and the duty-and-tax-free privileges.
The ‘Currency and Monetary Instruments Guidelines’ flyers, on the other hand, contain information on the allowable amount of Philippine currency travelers may bring along in his/her travel in and out of the country, and in excess thereof, the need to secure authorization from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP); foreign currencies needs to be declared using Foreign Currency Declaration Form in case the amount is in excess of US$10,000 or its equivalent.
“These information materials are being disseminated to provide information to inbound and outbound travelers,” said Talusan.
She added “the campaign is in line with the directives of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to provide better government service through transparency and continuous information dissemination.”
Talusan said the bureau is also monitoring imports for possible misdeclaration and undervaluation, which are common technical smuggling attempts by unscrupulous individuals and traders.
The so-called “ber months” (from September to December) is critical because unscrupulous traders will try to find the opportunity to sneak in their illegal goods in time with the high volume of imports at the ports.
Customs officials believed shipments intended for the holiday season will start coming in from China and Hong Kong.