The Bureau of Customs, under the leadership of Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz, continues to strengthen the monitoring of the movement and location of containers to secure the transit of imported goods through the intensified implementation of the Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo (E-TRACC) System.
The E-TRACC System, launched through the issuance of Customs Memorandum Order 04-2020, enables the real-time monitoring of inland movements of containerized goods using an Information and Communications Technology-enabled system such as the GPS-enabled tracking device to secure its transport to the intended destination. In addition, the system has a state-of-the-art alarm feature than can detect diversion and tampering.
For August of this year, only five alarms were reported in the System, which indicate lesser attempts in the commission of diversion and other customs fraud and illegal activities. The minimal number of alarms show that the ETRACC system is highly effective and a powerful deterrent against diversion and smuggling. The Enforcement and Security Service, as mandated under CMO 04-2020, immediately responds to any reported alarms, and conducts necessary and appropriate investigation and enforcement actions.
Furthermore, based on the latest report of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group (AOCG), the ETRACC recorded 50, 698 completed trips in August 2022. Of the total completed trips, 37,135 were intended for PEZA, 7,361 for Cold Storage Warehouse, 2,032 for Customs Bonded Warehouse (CBW) Imports, 1,349 trips for Container Yard/Container Freight Station accounts, 2, 271 trips for CBW Exports, 103 for condemned cargoes, and 447 trips for transfer of shipments subject to further verification and/or monitoring.
The ETRACC system remains a vital tool for BOC in identifying and preventing illegal activities during the movement of cargoes such as erroneous delivery of containers, missing containers, or unauthorized diversion.
The BOC, with the guidance and support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., will remain steadfast in protecting the country’s borders against all forms of smuggling and customs fraud.
