BOC: Majority of imported rice cleared for release

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) maintained none of the 888 containers of imported rice sitting in the port of Manila have exceeded the period before government would declare them as abandoned, and that the majority of them have been cleared for release after paying taxes.

In a statement yesterday, the agency said 237 out of 258 containers of imported rice “have been cleared for release after payment of duties and taxes.”

The remaining 21 containers “had their Goods Declarations lodged only on Sept. 20, 2024 and are still in the process of being cleared,” it added.

Meanwhile, out of the 630 containers of imported rice stocked in the yard of the Manila International Container Port, “492 containers have been cleared for release, while 138 containers are still pending payment of duties and taxes,” the BOC said.

“None of these shipments have exceeded the 30-day period stipulated by Section 1129(d) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. According to the law, importers must claim their shipments within 30 days from payment of duties and taxes or the shipments will be declared abandoned,” said the agency.

It would “proceed with abandonment proceedings if any shipments remain unclaimed after this period” of 30 days.