Gov’t eyeing to again expand SGS services

President Marcos is studying to again expand the shipment inspection services provided by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), a Swiss company that has been working with the government since the 1970s.

Marcos met in Malacañang with SGS officials, led by vice president George Bottomley and local managing director Cresenciano Maramot, on Thursday to discuss SGS’ services to the government.

SGS, which has recently been inspecting the country’s fuel imports, proposed to expand its services to include agricultural imports.

“This scheme would minimize smuggling,” he said in a video statement after the meeting.

“That means, before the product is loaded onto the ship at the place of origin, they will inspect it, so they can say: ‘This is true. The weight is correct. The quality is right. The record is correct’ … We don’t have to do it [any more],” he added.

The President said he would study the inclusion of agricultural imports, including a cost analysis to make sure that no added burden would be passed on to consumers.

Press Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the President ordered the Department of Finance and the Department of Agriculture to study the proposal.

As in the government’s previous engagements with the company, the SGS system “would deter importers from manipulating or falsifying invoices and, instead, increase tax compliance and enable cross-agency trade data reconciliation.”

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