Philippine customs destroys 21 smuggled luxury cars worth INR 8.8 cr

21 June 2021 – Seven of these vehicles were seized from various ports of Philippines including Manila International Container Port, Port of Manila and Port of Subic. The destruction of the vehicles follows the Presidential Directive 2017-447, in which President Rodrigo Roa Duterte reiterated the need to destroy smuggled vehicles to send a strong message…

Customs seizes 20,000 undeclared ivermectin tablets, other drugs

5 May 2021 –  Metro Manila The Bureau of Customs – Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) on Tuesday intercepted 20,000 undeclared ivermectin tablets and other regulated drugs concealed in a shipment from New Delhi, India. Ivermectin is claimed by some as a possible cure against COVID-19. But health experts said there is not enough proof…

DSV Panalpina takes over Agility GIL in $4.2bn deal

27 April 2021 – It’s big news that will shock no one. Some two years after DSV leapt into the list of forwarding superstars with its bold acquisition of Panalpina, it is now adding some $4bn to annual revenues with the acquisition of Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics (GIL). It’s a new twist in an old…

BOC raps three importers, customs brokers for smuggling P12.2M worth of goods

14 April 2021 – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has lodged smuggling charges against three importers that brought in an accumulated P12.2 million worth of general merchandise and regulated chemicals last year. The filing of criminal charges, which included those against the customs brokers involved in the importations, was facilitated by the Bureau’s Action Team…

BOC files charges vs importers over ₱160M misdeclared shipment

23 March 2021 – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has filed criminal cases against three importers due to illegal and irregular activities and transactions. The agency’s legal arm, Bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS), along with the Port of Cebu and Port of Cagayan De Oro, filed smuggling charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ)…

Solon wants stronger Customs law to avert agri smuggling

11 March 2021 – MANILA A party-list lawmaker on Thursday pushed for the passage of a measure seeking to amend the Customs Modernization and Tariffication Act (CMTA) to help avert agricultural smuggling and improve trade facilitation. AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep. Sharon Garin said amendments to the CMTA are necessary to further improve the country’s international standing,…

India considers long-term economic ties with the Philippines, to boost Indo-Pacific initiative

1 March 2021 – In an effort to reduce China’s influence in ASEAN’s third-largest economy, the Modi government is planning to make rapid inroads in the Philippines. New Delhi: India is making rapid inroads in the Philippines by establishing long-term trade and economic ties even as it plans to have a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with…

Customs ramps up modernization projects to complement shift to ‘new normal’

The Customs bureau said on May 6, Wednesday, that it “will implement more Information and Communications Technology projects that will speed up trade, strengthen border security and protect government revenues” as the country grapples against the pandemic. The bureau bared that preparations to improve various ICT projects under its modernization goal are underway. Currently, the…

BOC releases PPEs for medical frontliners

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly 5,000 shipments of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontliners addressing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis have been released from ports by the Bureau of Customs (BOC). Information from the BOC Public Information Office on Friday showed that a total of 4,669 shipments of PPEs have arrived in the country from March…