THE CUSTOMS bureau (BoC) will pursue full implementation of its core information technology system to better facilitate all areas of trade, the head of the agency said on Friday last week.
“Not all the modules of the E2M (Electronic 2 Mobile) system are being implemented,” Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino B. Biazon said in a phone interview.
He noted that implementing guidelines for full rollout of the online facility have been pending since the term of former Customs Commissioner Napoleon L. Morales.
The modules were supposedly undergoing review, but they were never completed.
Mr. Biazon, who took over the bureau’s helm just last week, ordered completion of the E2M review process within the next 30 days, so the system can “run 100% as soon as possible.”
“The hardware is not the problem. The software is not the problem. It’s just a policy issue,” Mr. Biazon pointed out.
The E2M system is the core IT system of the BoC that enables importers, exporters and brokers to register and secure accreditation online.
It also electronically facilitates processing of shipments — from submission of manifests, to declaration of imports, assessment of duties and taxes, to payment.
While most parts of the E2M system are already being used by the bureau, some components have yet to be rolled out.
These include the Passenger Baggage Information System, Mr. Biazon explained, which enables assessment of duties and taxes on goods being brought in by airline passengers.
Another is the Raw Materials Liquidation System which tracks status of raw materials imported into the country and stocked in bonded warehouses, in order to ensure they are exported. Raw materials enjoy zero-rated tax treatment, provided they are only processed here for eventual export.
Lastly, BoC is also yet to implement the Automated Bonds Management System which manages bond transactions for the bureau. The module facilitates payment, cancellation and expiration of bonds for use of bonded warehouses.
“Once the review is finished, I will issue the necessary Customs memorandum orders to implement them. Full implementation of the E2M system will help us facilitate trade better in all aspects,” Mr. Biazon said.
The E2M system has long been hailed by the government as a major component of the campaign to modernize the BoC. The bureau, usually saddled with smuggling controversies, is expected to benefit from computerization of processes to make transactions more transparent, efficient and less prone to corruption.
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By: Diane Claire J. Jiao
Source: Business World, Sept. 27, 2011
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