150 bonded warehouses ordered closed

Some 150 bonded warehouses of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Manila have been ordered padlocked by BOC Commissioner Titus Villanueva on suspicion that they are being used by smugglers.

In a statement, Villanueva reportedly ordered Port of Manila district collector Felipe Bartolome to close the Customs bonded warehouses (CBWs) for violations of different customs laws, including inactivity for one year. The activities of the warehouses are being monitored by the BOC and their operators failure to report any importation or exportation could be a sign that they are being used for some other purposes.

The BOC said that in the past, these warehouses were used for smuggling activities.

Villanueva said the order to close the CBWs, along with the streamlining of the BOC’s personnel, is part of his efforts to boost the bureau’s revenues. Once closed, the warehouses would be on 24-hour guard at the operators’ expense while all documents pertinent to the depot’s operations are being scrutinized by the BOC.

The BOC will then conduct an inventory and, if necessary, make its operators liable for their lapses or faults. – Jose Aravilla