BOC calls on SE Asia counterparts to participate in WCO’s Mercator program

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) urged its counterparts in Southeast Asia to take part in the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Mercator Program, aimed at enhancing trade facilitation through transparency in operations.

In a statement on Thursday, the BOC said Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, during the 32nd Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs in Pattaya, Thailand, called on customs operations throughout the region to take advantage of the WCO Mercator Program.

The WCO Mercator Program, launched in 2014, is an initiative aimed at assisting governments in implementing the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement, which contains provisions expediting the movement, release, and clearance of goods and cutting bureaucratic delays or red tape across borders for trade.

The BOC said that Rubio told his ASEAN peers about Manila's own experience with the program such as the use of diagnostic tools to help identify potential integrity issues and recommend solutions.

The Customs chief also cited the importance of ethical customs practices and the need to maintain high standards of integrity in all customs administrations in Southeast Asia.

Rubio also affirmed the Philippines’ continued collaboration with the WCO in its bid to achieve a customs administration that is at par with global standards.

During the meeting, the bureau said discussions centered on various projects of the BOC, such as Customs Organizational Development and Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Technical Measures.

The meeting was attended by Donia Hammami, Head of the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme at the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs-WCO-United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD), according to the BOC.

Also in attendance was Stephen Muller, a Time Release Study (TRS) and Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) expert. —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News