RP enters into international agreement to simplify Customs procedures

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has entered into an international agreement that aims to simplify Customs procedures, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said yesterday.

Morales said that last week the Philippines has acceded to the Revised Kyoto Convention, also known as the Revised International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures.

The Philippines is the 70th contracting country to the RKC and the first Southeast Asian country in the RKC roster.

The formal accession followed the approval of President Arroyo of the Kyoto Convention and ratification by the Senate.

Accession to the RKC means that the Philippines agrees to conform to its provisions, and particular annexes that would translate for the transacting public a more efficient, transparent and lower cost of clearing Customs.

In his short speech during the ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, Morales acknowledged the private sector, spearheaded by the Export Development Council, Port Users Confederation and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which formed the business alliance for the RKC accession.

Morales, who has been active in World Customs Organization (WCO) assemblies for the past four and a half years as Commissioner, also acknowledged the WCO which supported the BOC in its numerous projects.

He said that the Philippines could only achieve a world-class customs service through the Kyoto Convention.

Business groups, for their part, welcomed the country’s accession to the RKC.

“We strongly believe that this will eventually help us improve our competitiveness. For the longest time, our competitiveness image in international business has been burdened by low rankings in the ease of doing business,” the Makati Business Club, the Management Association of the Philippines and the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines said in a joint statement.

The key to reaping the fruits of this convention lies in providing the necessary environment and direction so that RKC compliance and implementation will sail smoothly.

“We therefore unite with the call of the Export Development Council, the National Competitiveness Council, and their member government agencies and private organizations for a continued and strengthened partnership. If we seriously want to participate in international trade, whether there is crisis or not, we must adjust to the demands of the trading world,” the groups said.