The Bureau of Customs (BOC), in cooperation with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), renewed its commitment to re-establish the Philippines Customs Laboratory (PCL).

The Philippine Bureau of Customs joins the 141st / 142nd World Customs Organization (WCO) Council Meeting, along with the Customs Commissioners of the 155 WCO member countries, starting June 22, 2023 at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized 8,200 reams of various brands of cigarettes and one Isuzu closed van with an estimated value of Php 4.4 million.

The items were seized at a checkpoint through the joint efforts of the Bureau’s enforcement and intelligence units; the army’s 603rd Brigade and 37th Infantry Battalion; and PNP’s regional maritime unit.

As part of the mandate of the Bureau of Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) to secure the country’s border against the import and export of prohibited, regulated, and restricted goods, the BOC- NAIA Operatives intercepted Tarantulas without the required DENR permits, misdeclared as “Snacks – Sweet Salted Fish” at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) on June 19, 2023.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) was recently given recognition by the Nike Asia Pacific Brand Protection Team for its exceptional efforts in apprehending and seizing P1.56 billion worth of counterfeit Nike footwear.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), on 15 June 2023, have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their collaboration and work towards a synchronized and well-coordinated information and communication technology (ICT) system. This partnership aims to promote the integration, interoperability, and interconnection of their systems and applications.

The BOC – Port of Aparri and Sub-port of Irene have received the green light to proceed with the External Audit stage of their journey towards International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certification after successfully completing the two-day Stage 2 Internal Quality Audit conducted by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Interim Internal Quality Management System Office (IIQMSO) on June 5-6, 2023, at the Aparri District Office in Aparri, Cagayan.                               

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) demonstrated its commitment in fostering regional trade facilitation and customs cooperation at the 32nd Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs (ASEAN DGs of Customs). The conference, held from 6 to 8 June 2023 in Pattaya, Thailand, brought together representatives from all ASEAN Member States (AMS), ASEAN Customs Dialogue Partners, Business Councils to ASEAN, and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The BOC Port of Clark, under the leadership of District Collector Elvira Cruz, busted an attempt to smuggle 1,534 grams of High-Grade Marijuana or Kush Marijuana worth P2,531,100.00 on May 18.

In its commitment to international customs cooperation and collaboration, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) actively participated in the recently concluded 24th World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia/Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administrations (RHCA) Conference held from 28-31 May 2023 in Perth, Australia.