BOC orders airlines, shipping lines to submit cargo manifests in advance

To further facilitate trade and protect Philippine borders from the entry of high-risk cargoes, the Bureau of Customs will require airlines and shipping lines to submit advance cargo manifest.

Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 6-2018, signed by Commissioner Isidro Lapeña on May 7, mandated the electronic submission in PDF file format the advance manifest, bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, stowage plan, container discharging list, load port survey report, and supplemental cargo manifest to the bureau’s Advanced Manifest System.

The order takes effect starting May 7, 2018, the BOC said on Thursday.

Cargo manifest or Inward Foreign Manifest (IFM) contains the detailed list of cargo on board the vessel or aircraft, including information on the goods such as transport document numbers, consignors, consignees, marks and numbers, number and kind of packages, weight, description, quantity of the goods, and the destination.

“The new guidelines on cargo manifest will allow a qualified importer to process in advance the goods declaration prior to the arrival of the shipment and pre-assess the customs duties, taxes, and other charges as well as other needed documentary requirements,” Lapeña said in a statement.

CMO 06-2018 by GMA News Online on Scribd

“More so, the cargo information will be used to profile the risk of cargoes while increasing the efficiency of the clearance process of low-risk shipments. Thus, the release of legitimated cargoes will be expedited,” Lapeña noted.

The advance information of cargoes destined to the Philippines will help the Bureau track and trace the movement of cargoes from the port of origin and evaluate the nature and degree of risk of incoming shipments.

The bureau’s accredited cargo surveying company must also submit the load port survey report at least 24 hours before the arrival of the vessel.

The bureau warned that failure to transmit the electronic manifest within the required time will be penalized with a fine of not less than P100,000.00 but not more than P300,000.00.

Shipments not included in the manifest and supplemental manifest will be seized and undergo forfeiture proceedings under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. —VDS, GMA News