The Bureau of Customs (BOC) actively participated in the Korea Customs Week held in Seoul, South Korea, from April 26-28, 2023, representing the Philippines. Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, Deputy Commissioner Vener Baquiran, and Director Clarence Dizon attended the event, alongside other Director Generals and customs officials from other countries.
Korea Customs Week , the first-ever global customs forum hosted by the Korea Customs Service, provided a valuable platform for open discussions, various exhibitions and field experiences. It highlighted the importance of a reinforced global partnership on trade facilitation and security of global community.
Under the theme of “Global Customs Cooperation and Digital Customs”, the event provided an avenue for sharing of best practices and fostered international customs collaboration, through the Customs Roundtable, the Seminars conducted, where experts and participants exchanged views and insights on topics including e-commerce, disruptive technologies and customs information exchange. Bilateral and Multilateral Meetings between and among Customs heads, and private stakeholders were also conducted, to discuss particular issues of mutual concerns.
Commissioner Rubio reaffirmed the BOC’s commitment in pursuing all the six goals in the signed statement, which are incidentally aligned with the Commissioner’s Five-Point Priority Program. Notably, he underscored the vital role played by customs in establishing a more inclusive and sustainable trade facilitation framework. The BOC has consistently strengthened its partnerships with other customs administrations and international organizations to effectively combat smuggling and safeguard the interests of the Filipino people.
Likewise, Commissioner Rubio, along with 19 Commissioners/Director Generals of other customs administration, resolved in a joint statement, to raise the level of communication among the customs autorities, to strengthen personal exchange for smooth administrative services and capacity of customs authorities by sharing information related to drug seizure cases, having been convinced that cooperation among the customs authorities on joint enforcement against drug trafficking issues as the best counter-measure to prevent the worldwide spread of drugs.#
