Who knew that selling off overstaying container vans could be so lucrative?
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has gained over P138 million in additional revenue after auctioning off hundreds of overstaying containers at the country ports, it was learned Wednesday, April 7.
A total of P138,535,866 was collected by the bureau during the first quarter of 2021 from the public auction and condemnation of 586 overstaying containers.
Of the figure, 354 overstaying cargoes that contained various goods such as rice and galvanized steel were auctioned off, while the remaining 232 containers were disposed of.
Sections 1139 and 1141 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) provides for the conditions and modes of disposition of overstaying containers for as long as they are abandoned or seized.
Under the Customs Administrative Order 17-2019, cargoes that weren’t withdrawn within the regulatory period of 30 calendar days from the payment of duties, taxes, and other charges shall be deemed abandoned, unless covered by duly issued alert order.
Upon the finality of the Decree of Abandonment, the bureau shall then determine the final fate of the cargoes, be it via auction, condemnation, or donation.
“Significantly, these disposition activities are aimed at efficiently facilitating trade by eliminating port and yard congestion, thereby ensuring smooth flow of business within the agency,” Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said in a statement.
“With the momentum that the Bureau of Customs has set for the first quarter of 2021, the BOC, through continuous monitoring and compliance with its mandates, assures the public that it will remain steadfast in its efforts of ensuring unhampered delivery of its services, especially in these trying times that the movement of goods, essentials and non-essentials, is deemed both substantial and critical,” Guerrero added.