The Philippine Bureau of Customs attended the 33rd regular Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs held on June 04-06, 2024, in Phu Quoc, Viet Nam, hosted and chaired by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
The meeting was attended by the ten (10) ASEAN Member States (AMS); Dialogue Partners (DPs): Japan, Australia, Korea and China and the World Customs Organization (WCO); as well as the Private Sector – the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the ASEAN-EU Business Council (EU-ABC), the ASEAN US-Business Council (US-ABC) and the ASEAN Secretariat.
The Philippine Customs delegation was led by Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, joined by Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip C. Maronilla, Coll. Rechilda T. Oquias of the External Affairs Office, and Ms. Denise A. Asantor from the Office of the Commissioner.
The meeting discussed the work progress and achievements for 2023-2024 made by various customs technical working groups under the purview of the Customs Directors-General, namely: Coordinating Committee on Customs (CCC), Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation Working Group (CPTFWG), Customs Enforcement and Compliance Working Group (CECWG), and Customs Capacity Building Working Group (CCBWG).
During the meeting, the Philippine Customs presented the establishment of the Customs Industry Consultative and Advisory Council (CICAC), sharing the BOC’s strategic alliance to foster strengthened cooperation and reinforce collaboration and communication with the trade industry stakeholders. The Philippine Customs encouraged other ASEAN Member States to form their own CICAC and eventually create a regional CICAC — making Customs reachable, accessible, and transparent.
The DG meeting also served as an avenue for the conduct of consultation sessions with the Dialogue Partners, including the WCO to improve and strengthen Customs-to-Customs cooperation at the international level, as well as with the Private Sector to address and respond to the issues and challenges faced by the ASEAN business partners.
The BOC continues to strengthen international collaborations, adopt best practices, and explore opportunities to improve customs operations and facilitate global trade.
