The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the Philippine Mercator Program during a recent meeting with the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The Mercator Program reflects the commitment of the global Customs community to trade facilitation, particularly the structured and harmonized approach to implementing the trade facilitation agreement (TFA), utilizing WCO instruments and standards.
In a statement, the BOC said that the WCO paid a courtesy call to customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio to discuss the program and various trade facilitation measures.
The meeting aimed to reconfirm previous discussions between the BOC and WCO and to ensure that Rubio is fully onboard with the program.
Discussions centered on various BOC projects on Customs Organizational Development and TFA Technical Measures, with the WCO providing inputs on their effective implementation to achieve results.
The agency said that Donia Hammami, head of the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Program at the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs-WCO-United Nations Conference for Trade and Development, praised the BOC’s commitment to the program, highlighting the agency’s leadership in demonstrating that remote engagements are possible even during the pandemic.
The discussed customs organizational development projects include the National Customs Trade Facilitation Champions, Competency-based Human Resource Management, Integrity Development, Leadership and Management Development and Gender Inclusivity.
As mentioned, the discussion also delved into TFA Technical Measures, specifically the Time Release Study, Expedited Shipment – Air Cargo Streamlining, Authorized Economic Operator Program, Risk Management and the National Customs Enforcement Network.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from both the BOC and WCO to work together towards the successful implementation of the Philippine Mercator Program and TFA Technical Measures, which will ultimately benefit the Philippine economy.
