The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has revoked the accreditation of 690 importers and 220 customs brokers last year as they were found to have violated the provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the BOC said.
In a statement, the BOC said the revocation is part of the office’s continuous monitoring and post-evaluation of importers and brokers.
Meanwhile, 16,053 regular importers and 483 non-regular importers were accredited in 2021, the BOC said.
Also, 2,345 licensed customs brokers were accredited to transact with the bureau.
The agency’s Account Management Office also reported on efforts to physically inspect facilities and offices of aspiring importers to ensure the legitimacy of their application and avoid dummy accounts that may be used for smuggling and illegal activities.
The BOC said a total of 1,168 sites or offices were inspected last year, 279 of which were found to be non-existent which led to the denial of their application.
