The Bureau of Customs partnered with the United Kingdom Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to enhance its food trade between the two countries.

The Customs said that the partnership, organized by the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines, aims to ease trade processes.

One of the core objectives of this briefing is to advance the British chamber’s mission of mitigating inflation and promoting food security, which is crucial for maintaining economic resilience and public health.

Michael Fermin, BOC’s acting deputy commissioner of the management information systems and technology group (MISTG), shared insights on the bureau’s regulatory developments on trade through digitalization.
He shared the accomplishments under the 5-Point Priority Program, including the continued effort to simplify cross-border trade procedures marked by implementing the ASEAN Single Window System and facilitating e-Certificates of Origin.

In addition, the BOC also implemented the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document, an electronic document to facilitate the exchange of export declaration information between exchange-ready ASEAN states, and the recent electronic Phytosanitary Certificate with ASEAN Member States, among others.
“As an advocate for the continuous improvement of cross-border trade myself, I would like to emphasize the fundamental role this event plays in achieving our goals, fostering stronger international partnerships, driving economic growth, and streamlining our processes to better serve the public and our stakeholders,” BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said.

The Customs exceeded its revenue collection target for the first half of the year, collecting P456 billion from January to June, which was three percent higher than the midyear target of P442.6 billion.

It was also 5.22 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

In June alone, the BOC said it collected P75.2 billion, exceeding the monthly target by P685 million.