An official consultative body comprised of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and its industry partners has been set up to provide a forum for addressing issues and concerns related to customs and industry matters.
Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 02-2024 issued on Feb. 2, 2024 creates the Customs Industry Consultative and Advisory Council (CICAC) to act as a consultative body that will “address existing and potential issues related to Customs and industry matters, promote mutual understanding, and strengthen the harmonious relationship between the BOC and its industry partners.”
Among CICAC’s objectives is to establish an official forum for efficiently communicating rules and regulations and enhancing regulatory compliance. The council also seeks to improve BOC’s operational effectiveness by ensuring stakeholder needs are considered in the implementation of customs programs.
CICAC also provides a platform for addressing and resolving issues raised by both the BOC and its industry partners to promote a more efficient conflict resolution system.
The Council shall be established in the central office and in all the collection districts. The central CICAC is to be chaired by the Customs commissioner and be composed of BOC officials from the central office and the heads or representatives of businesses and trade associations/organizations directly dealing with the BOC.
Meanwhile, each collection district shall establish its own district CICAC to be chaired by the district collector and composed of BOC officials and personnel from the collection district and industry partners from the district or region.
Some of the industry partners represented in CICAC include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc., the top 20 importing companies, Airline Operators Council, Association of International Shipping Lines, Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport), Common Bonded Warehouse Operators, Inc., Port Users Confederation, and Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines.
Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., Philexport president, welcomed the establishment of CICAC as a good venue for the active development of policies and programs that support trade facilitation and as a platform for addressing issues surrounding customs rules, projects, and procedures.
CICAC will be carrying out several functions. It is tasked to promote awareness of the rights and responsibilities of both BOC and private stakeholders to ensure transparency, and to conduct regular consultative meetings on customs policies and programs as well as issues and concerns about their implementation.
The advisory body will also establish a consultation mechanism before and after new policies are implemented to improve regulatory compliance and provide policy feedback. It is also expected to help identify obstacles and bottlenecks in trade facilitation.
Other CICAC functions include aiding in identification of customs procedures and methods that no longer align with modern business standards, recommending policies and solutions to prevent illicit activities by traders and customs employees, and participating in corruption risk analysis to strengthen the BOC’s and stakeholders’ codes of conduct.
