Keep it short and simple, Bureau of Customs urged

A lawmaker and former Bureau of Customs commissioner has cautioned the current commissioner against establishing temporary storage facilities for overstaying and abandoned cargoes at the Port of Manila and Manila International Container Port, saying the proposed band-aid solution may create more problems in the long run.

Keep it short and simple  instead of adding another layer of bureaucracy, Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon advised Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, saying the bureau should heed the instructions of President Rodrigo Duterte to cut red tape and ensure ease of doing business.

“The planned transfer of overstaying and abandoned cargoes is just a temporary answer. A more appropriate solution should be formulated,” Biazon said in reaction to the draft Customs Administrative Order which would implement Section 307 of Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

“The better thing to do is to look for a permanent solution which is to fast-track the disposition of overstaying and abandoned goods,” Biazon said in a forum at the Manila Hotel.

The draft order, which also seeks to allow the Bureau of Customs  to impose rates for storage services in identified Customs facilities and warehouses, has been widely criticized by various stakeholders who warned it would  only encourage corruption and eventually lead to higher prices of goods.

Biazon said Faeldon’s temporary “cure” may create more problems instead of addressing the issue of abandoned and overstaying cargoes.

“We should not be focusing on temporary solutions. We should find other ways that will give us long-term and permanent remedies. If we are able to simplify and expedite the process of auctioning off the overstaying and abandoned cargoes, this would translate to additional revenues that the government can use for important programs for poor Filipinos,” he said.