BOC adjusts cargo check rules after long lines reported at ports

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has adjusted its rules on the mandatory X-ray inspection of shipments following reports of long queues of trucks at ports.

In a statement, Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said that beginning Oct. 12, the following shipments were no longer tagged “red” and would not need to undergo mandatory X-ray examination: shipments bound for economic zones; perishables and reefer shipments; and importation of government agencies and multinational companies.

Shipments belonging to the three categories and previously tagged red shall now be under the yellow lane for document checking, Lapeña said.

Under the BOC’s selectivity system, imported products pass through four lanes.

Shipments in the super green lane, which is reserved for reputable firms, no longer go through inspection and documentation verification, while those in green lane only undergo minimum inspection.

Products in the yellow lane, meanwhile, undergo document verification and those in the red lane go through two levels of inspection.

Green lane suspended

Immediately after his assumption as customs chief, Lapeña ordered the suspension of the green lane and ordered all shipments to either pass through the red or yellow lane, meaning they would either go through X-ray examination or document checking, respectively.

The suspension came after the discovery of a P6.4-billion drug shipment from China that passed through the green lane at the Manila port in May, leading to congressional hearings on alleged corruption at the BOC.

However, long lines of trucks for X-ray inspection were reported after Lapeña suspended the “green lanes.”

“Given time, we will come up with a more effective and efficient system that will balance border protection and trade facilitation,” he said.