BOC creates 'condemnation committee'; but what does it do?

A "condemnation committee" has been formed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to oversee and hasten the disposal of seized and abandoned goods from the country's ports.

The condemnation committee was created following the issuance of Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 24-2021, which sets rules and regulations in the implementation of Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 3-2020 on the disposition of forfeited and abandoned goods through condemnation.

According to the bureau, the new panel will assist in decongesting ports of overstaying containers by providing a mechanism to expedite the disposition and release of shipments for condemnation.

Among the duties of the committee is to evaluate the recommendation in the accreditation of a service contractor for the destruction of the seized and forfeited goods.

"The CMO now provides uniform procedure and requirements in the accreditation of service contractors for condemnation of goods in line with the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018," the BOC said.

The panel is also tasked to issue an order of condemnation and recommend the imposition of administrative and/or other sanctions as may be appropriate against any entity, subject to the approval of the district collector of the concerned port.

A supervising team for condemnation was also created to ensure procedural compliance, from the goods' underguarding, to its transfer to the condemnation facility, to the actual disposal, and finally the submission of completion report.

The CMO will also identify the various items subject to condemnation. These include forfeited and abandoned goods that are restricted and highly dangerous, absolutely prohibited or prohibited by law for release, have no commercial value, and are injurious to the public.

Such contraband shall be condemned in any of the following modes: rendering, crushing, thermal decomposition, and shredding, among others. The method will depend on the issued order.

From January to June 2021, the BOC disposed of a total of 1,041 overstaying containers through auction and condemnation. The reduction of port and yard congestion has resulted in improved trade facilitation, the BOC said.