BOC starts e-payment scheme

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has ordered the implementation of a system that would pave the way for a full electronic, no face-to-face payment scheme with the agency.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon L. Morales ordered the immediate implementation of the so-called Client Profile Registration System or CPRS, one of the major components of Electronic-to-Mobile or e2m Customs System.

“The CPRS is the prerequisite for BOC clients to avail of the end-to-end full electronic, no face-to-face transactions with the BOC,” Morales said.

Under the system, the BOC would use Internet and cellphone technologies in releasing imports and exports within 30 minutes, a commitment of the Philippines to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

Under Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 39-2008, all BOC clients need to submit electronic documents for the clearance of inbound and outbound goods or moving these from one Customs jurisdiction to another and must register under the CPRS.

These clients include importers, exporters, Customs brokers, authorized agent banks, companies and government offices.

The agency is also requiring port operators and warehouses to register under the system.

The CPRS will allow these stakeholders to receive electronic online release instructions from Customs. The aim is to have a cash-less transaction and make the process more efficient. Furthermore, the agency also aims to prevent corruption under the new system.

The BOC, the government’s second largest revenue agency, is stepping up efforts to improve its procedures so it can collect more.

In October, the BOC’s revenues reached P25 billion, or an increase of 33.3 percent against the previous year’s P18.7 billion.

From January to October, the BOC collected P218.2 billion, up 27 percent year-on-year. For the whole year, the BOC has a revenue goal of P274 billion, revised upward from the official target of P254 billion.

The National Government has programmed to incur a budget deficit of P75 billion this year.