THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) issued rules and regulations providing for the mechanism to expedite the disposition and release of shipments for condemnation.
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero signed Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) 24-2021 providing a uniform procedure and requirements in the bureau’s accreditation of service contractors for condemnation of goods in line with Republic Act 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business” law.
A Condemnation Committee shall also be created to evaluate the recommendation in the accreditation of service contractors. The same panel is also tasked to issue an Order of Condemnation, and recommend the imposition of appropriate administrative and/or other sanctions against any entity, subject to the approval of the District Collector in the port concerned.
Apart from the Condemnation Committee, a “Supervising Team for Condemnation” will also be formed to ensure compliance to condemnation procedures from under-guarding to arrival in the condemnation facility, proper disposal and submission of the completion report.
Under the CMO, goods subject to condemnation include forfeited and abandoned goods that are restricted and highly dangerous, absolutely prohibited or prohibited by law to be released, have no commercial value, and are injurious to public. Furthermore, these goods shall be condemned through rendering, crushing, thermal decomposition, shredding, among others.
During the first half of the year, the BOC disposed a total of 1,041 overstaying containers through auction and condemnation, which resulted in improved trade facilitation by eliminating port and yard congestion.
Of this number, 636 containers were disposed through public auction while 405 containers were condemned and destroyed.
The BOC earned P279.42 million from disposing the containers through public auction during the same period.