The Bureau of Customs (BOC) conducted the Customs Clearance Procedure for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs Webinar, wherein all stakeholders and the general public were invited, on June 27, 2022 at the BOC Office of the Commissioner Conference Room and via Zoom Teleconference.

In line with the said webinar, the BOC reiterates that the agency strictly requires import clearances for agricultural and food products, such as meat, issued by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health or other appropriate agencies before releasing them from ports, pursuant to the Food Safety Act of 2003. This is to also ensure that the imported products are not contaminated by any disease such as the bird flu virus.

In addition to this stringent initiative, the BOC also signed an agreement with the DA to implement further measures to ensure maximum level of food safety for local consumers and to combat the proliferation of smuggled agricultural commodities within the Philippine borders.

More than 600 online webinar attendees were enlightened on Customs Accreditation, Implementation of Letter of Authority, Latest Issuances and Legal Actions, Post-Clearance Audit of Importers, and Cargo Clearance Procedure and Issuance Permits for Agricultural Products and Foodstuff. The attendees were also given the chance to raise their concerns and inquiries during the Question and Answer portion.

The speakers included subject-matter experts – Acting Assistant Chief of the Accounts Management office, Mr. Reffy Gorre, Chief of the Operations Section of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Mr. Paul Pacunayen, Chief of the Prosecution and Litigation Division of the Legal Service, Atty. Julito Doria, BOC Spokesperson / Assistant Commissioner and Head of the Post Clearance Audit Group, Atty. Vincent Maronilla, Deputy Collector for Assessment of the Port of Manila, Mr. Rizalino Torralba, and Agriculturalist II and Assistant Head-Issuance of the SPS Import Clearance of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Ms. Zyrine Lorizo.

For those who missed the webinar, the live recording may still be accessed at https://bit.ly/CustomsClearanceForAgriAndFoodstuff

With the guidance of Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, the Bureau of Customs will continue to conduct free webinars that are accessible to all to further improve trade facilitation and the operational procedures of the Philippine Customs Administration.