Customs chief set to lift ban on imports of spare parts

Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo is set to lift the ban on the importation of used motor vehicle parts and components following the call of the Surplus Importers and Brokers Association of the Philippines (SIBAP) to exempt its members from Executive Order 156 which bans the importation of second-hand vehicles.

In a press conference this week, SIBAP vice president Ed Bacungan said Bernardo assured the group that he will order the release of its cargo from the pier after a consultation meeting to be held today.

This developed after several SIBAP members exposed the alleged corruption at the Customs zone as a result of the confusion on the implementing rules and regulation of EO 156.

Bacungan alleged that some corrupt Customs personnel are demanding P50,000 per container for the release of their shipment. "This translates to P25 million loss to our legitimate business for the 50 container vans now being withheld at the pier," Bacungan said, adding they made the exposé so that Bernardo may be aware of what his men have been doing to them.

SIBAP claims the importation of replacement parts is legal under Central Bank Circular No. 1389 and, hence, should be excluded from EO 156, which took effect last month.

It also bewailed the negative effect of the ban on the group’s source of livelihood since their importations which are being held at the South Harbor and at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) had already incurred large amount of demurrage and storage charges. "This situation should not be allowed to prevail because it impedes considerable increase of possible revenues due to a standstill of importations at our ports," SIBAP president Maria Zapata said.

Zapata said the Import Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has ruled out that the importation of used vehicle spare parts is legal as certified by the Board of Investment.

SIBAP had appealed to President Arroyo to intervene in their behalf since they are not importing used vehicles which are the main subject of EO 156.