By Betheena Unite
Customs personnel at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) recently received training on the issuance of electronic certificate of origin ahead of its implementation.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Electronic certificate of origin (e-CO), once implemented, will allow ASEAN countries to more quickly and more reliably grant zero or reduced tariff rates to countries within the association. It will also allow countries within the region to forego the slower and less secure system of issuing paper Certificates of Origin.
The MICP personnel were trained through the TradeNet.gov.ph platform of the Department of Finance.
TradeNet.gov.ph is the online portal where the automated licensing, permit, clearance and certification systems of Trade Regulatory Government Agencies are integrated.
"In line with the vision of securing an economically strong ASEAN, the association’s member states grant preferential tariff rates through the association’s Rules of Origin and Operational Certification Procedure of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA)," MICP District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria said during the training.
Austria said the issuance of e-CO is the Philippine's participation in the ASEAN Single Window Project (ASW) -- a multinational, cooperation project that will allow member states to digitally issue and verify certificates of origin.
" can propel our country and the ASEAN community towards the vision of a single prosperous regional block, at par with the world’s leading economic blocks," Austria said, stressing the benefits of the electronic issuance and verification of certificates of origin.
The training, according to the district collector, is part of the implementation of Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 15-2019 signed by Customs Commissioner Rey Leornardo Guerrero last March.
"This is a step towards creating the technical and human infrastructure that allows for the issuance and creation of an e-CO," Austria added.
Meanwhile, CMO 15-2019 provides the guidelines for the application, submission, and processing of all e-CO through TradeNet.gov.ph, which will facilitate the paperless acceptance of e-CO among the ASEAN Member States.