Customs won’t process import papers of firms not listed with Phil Shippers Bureau

The Bureau of Customs announced yesterday that it will not process the import documents of forwarding companies unless their company names are listed in the list of Philippine Shippers’ Bureau (PSB) accredited seafreight forwarders.

Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo made the announcement upon the request of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that only entities engaged in any non-vessel operating common carrier, cargo consolidation, international and domestic freight forwarding activities in possession of the required PSB accreditation are considered operating legally.

There are more than 600 forwarding companies accredited by the PSB, the DTI said as it furnished the Bureau of Customs an updated list of forwarding companies accredited by the PSB. It also said that there is a big number of such companies found illegally operating.

In a memorandum to all port district collectors, Bernardo ordered that the import documents of forwarding companies not accredited by the PSB should not be processed and therefore their shipments shall be subject to confiscation or seizure.

Exempted in the order are forwarding companies with opening application for accreditation under process by the PSB.

"We would like to request not to allow processing of documents of freight forwarding companies unless their company names are included in the list of PSB accredited seafreight forwarders, or a certification issued by the PSB stating that the application for accreditation had been filed and under process thereat," DTI Deputy Ceferino Cruzada said in his letter request to Bernardo.