PH boosts 'strategic' trade management with BOC, DTI deal

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have signed an agreement strengthening measures for the management of trading of "strategic goods."

BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, and DTI officials Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo, and Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO) Director Janice Sacedon-Dimayacyac led the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Monday.

According to Rubio, the agreement is part of the government’s bid to strengthen the implementation of Republic Act No. 10697 or the Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA).

It also signifies the country’s commitment to establishing robust and effective strategic trade controls, in line with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution No. 1540.

The resolution urges UN Member States to enforce measures and establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and their means of delivery through strategic trade management.

Rubio also said the MOA includes provisions for capacity-building support for the BOC to enhance its knowledge of strategic goods and foster enhanced cooperation between the BOC and STMO.

Further, the agreement aligns with the core mandates of the BOC and “paves the way for a future in which strategic trade control processes expedite clearances, reduce transaction time and costs, and maintain effective levels of strategic trade control."

The STMA defines strategic goods as "products that, for security reasons or due to international agreements, are considered to be of such military importance that their export is either prohibited altogether or subject to specific conditions."

They are classified as either military goods, dual use goods or nationally controlled goods.

Under the law, the Philippines committed to be free of weapons of mass destruction “consistent with the national interest, to fulfill its international commitments and obligations” including UNSC Resolution 1540, which urges member-states to enforce measures and establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and their means of delivery through strategic trade management.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News