Single window system to help traders compete in 2015

THE implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) in the country will soon become a common system used by the exporters and importers when trading goods to other Asean member countries.

This is one of the updates given to businessmen and manufacturers especially those engaged in the agri-fisheries business to help them compete when the Asean Economic Community (AEC) happens in 2015.

The Philippines is already at 82 percent completion of the first phase for the NSW implementation, said Dr. Erlinda Medalla, Philippine Institute for Developmental Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow during the forum on the Asean Economic Integration in Cebu City.

“That includes the preparatory measures, implementation of the NSW business processes and technical components and live implementation, Medalla said.

“The Philippines ranks fourth in the Asean Customs Modernization and NSW Implementation scoring 82 percent behind Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore,” she said.

38 agencies linked

The Asean Single Window is an initiative to integrate electronic windows among member states establishing Customs modernization to facilitate international trade.

Medalla said the NSW system now operates in 38 government agencies, and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) hopes to link 50 other government agencies by 2015.

She said the implementation of the NSW will not only help facilitate the trade process but also reduce corruption.

She added that the system will also make our industries more competitive and ready for the Asean single market integration in 2015.

phase 2

“I can see a big potential on a fully-running NSW,” she said.

Medalla said they hope to sustain these reforms and launch the NSW Phase 2, which extends to declaration processing, rationalization, simplification and harmonization by linking NSW and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) electronic to mobile (e2m) system which computerizes the customs clearance process. /Correspondent Christine Estrella