Customs denies holding release of medical supplies for coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) denied Monday it is delaying the release of medical supplies needed to attend to patients infected with and are being monitored for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

This comes a day after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. claimed in a tweet that “tons” of personal protective equipment (PPEs) are being kept in the warehouses of BoC.

“In the midst of issues that the Bureau of Customs is holding and delaying the release of essential medical supplies and equipment in its warehouses, the BOC clarifies that there is no such incident at any of its ports or warehouses,” the bureau said in a statement.

According to BOC, the processing of shipments containing medical supplies and relief goods are “being done expeditiously especially during this time of emergency.”

On top of this, the bureau said it has activated a BOC assistance desk to expedite the clearance and immediate release of said shipments.

“The BOC enjoins its stakeholders/importers to provide detailed advance information of importations of emergency medical supplies so that they can be expeditiously processed,” it said.

“Further, importers are once again reminded to secure the needed importation permits and clearances required by regulatory agencies prior to importation,” the BOC added.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 12 people in the country since the first death was recorded in February, with four deaths announced by the Department of Health on Sunday. A total of 140 individuals have been infected, while 214 are considered patients under investigation (PUIs) and 2,389 are categorized as patients under monitoring (PUMs).

EDV