The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in its effort to strengthen existing trade facilitation efforts and mechanism, convened the 7th Trade Facilitation Working Group Meeting under the ARISE Plus Philippines Project via virtual conference on April 18, 2024.

On behalf of Atty. Vincent Philip C. Maronilla, Assistant Commissioner, PCAG, and Chair, BOC Project Team for Strengthened Trade Facilitation Capacity Building, Atty. Julito L. Doria, Deputy Collector for Operations, Port of Manila (POM), and Vice-Chair, ARISE Plus, BOC Project Team, presided the meeting.

The Working Group comprises representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Bureau of International Trade Relations, DTI – Export Marketing Bureau, Department of Agriculture – International Affairs Division (DA-IAD), and DTI – Philippine Trade Training Center. It also includes members from the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Women’s Business Council of the Philippines, and the Philippine Young Entrepreneurs Association.

In his opening remarks, POM Deputy Collector Doria expressed gratitude for the unwavering support from members of the Output 4 Working Group, which has been instrumental in the successful implementation of activities under the Year 4 Work Plan (March 2024 – February 2025) of the ARISE Plus Philippines Project.

“Through the conduct of several sessions aimed at assisting the BOC officials, as well as key Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs), the Output 4 – Working Group has been instrumental in equipping Customs officials, as well as the TRGAs, to seamlessly adhere to current trade facilitation commitments, particularly the Customs Modernization Tariff Act and the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA), and other emerging trade facilitation initiatives,” he said.

Aside from providing updates on the implementation of Output 4 activities as contained in the Year 3 Work Plan (March 2023-February 2024), the Secretariat from the International Trade Center also discussed the implementation of activities for Year 4.

Additional consultative and training sessions to support the readiness of the BOC as well as the Philippine Trade Facilitation Committee in complying with existing international commitments such as the WTO TFA, including new and evolving requirements, will be conducted during the second quarter of this year.

Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio affirmed the Bureau’s unwavering commitment in enhancing its operational efficiency, saying “The BOC is dedicated in promoting trade facilitation, as evidenced by this initiative, and we are resolute in our efforts to continuously foster collaboration and innovation in the economic landscape.”