‘Pre-shipment inspection to thwart drug smuggling ‘

LAWMAKERS on Friday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to order a compulsory pre- shipment inspection ( PSI) of all containerized cargoes to stop the entry of illegal drugs into the country.

“The President is in a position to administratively direct the mandatory PSI at the country of origin of all containerized cargoes destined for the Philippines,” said Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza.

The House senior deputy minority leader made the statement after the Bureau of Customs (BoC) was rocked by another controversy involving the smuggling of P11-billion worth of shabu (methamphetamine) in July.

Atienza said an estimated P21-billion worth of shabu was smuggled through the Port of Manila in three batches between May 2017 and July 2018 through 20-foot containers from China, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera- Dy, a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said a preshipment solution was rejected by the Customs bureau, importers, and smugglers when Congress was deliberating on Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

“Pre-shipment inspection, valuation, and appraisal of all imports before they are sent to the Philippines would be one effective way to clean up Customs operations,” she said.

PSI is practiced by governments, mostly in developing countries. This policy requires importers to engage accredited third-party surveyors to verify shipment details, such as the price, quantity and quality of goods, before cargoes depart the exporting country.

According to the World Trade Organization, PSI can also prevent the undervaluation of taxable imports and to compensate for the inadequacies in the importing country’s customs and other administrative structures.

Atienza said the Cstoms bureau could easily increase its annual collection of import taxes by 50 percent, or by P350 billion, once PSI is in place.

This year, the BoC was originally tasked to collect P637 billion in import taxes. This target has since been lowered to P581 billion, and then raised to P598 billion, the lawmaker noted.

“We are counting on PSI to effectively prevent not only illegal drug shipments, but also the widespread smuggling of high-value farm products, cars, electronics, apparel and what have you, stashed in containers,” Atienza said.