ML no adverse effect on importation, Customs official says

HE implementation of the martial law has no adverse effect on the transshipment of imported items to local ports in Northern Mindanao, a Bureau of Customs-10 (BOC-10) official said Friday.

In fact, the enforcement of the military rule in the entire island of Mindanao has even encouraged importers to ship their goods here, said Alvin Enciso, chief of BOC-10’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on May 23 following the encounter between government troops and armed extremists in Marawi City that led to almost two months of fighting and the displacement of thousands of residents and the death of hundreds of civilians, soldiers and insurgents.

Enciso said the importation of commodities was not hampered by the ongoing conflict in Marawi.

The installation of checkpoints, specifically in highways that cut through the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, has been perceived as advantageous to the importers, he said, since the areas where the their cargoes will pass through have been secured.

The imposition of the martial law, Enciso said, did not hamper the collection efforts of the BOC-10. “Even with martial law, our imports have gone up,” he added.

In June, the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, where the bulk of the imported materials arrive from other countries, recorded a collection of P811.23 million, or 12.50 percent increase from its P721.11 million target, said Samson Pacasum, the port collector.

The MCT is one of the sea ports under the jurisdiction and management of BOC-10 and yet it collects the volume of tax collection and other duties from importation.

In the same period last year, MCT had only collected P589.795 million, or 20.19 percent lower than its P739 million target.

Pacasum said MCT aims to collect some P8.53 billion by the end of 2017. BOC-10’s overall target for this year is P11 billion.

Enciso said newly appointed BOC-10 district collector Jamail Marohomsalic has put premium on collecting more taxes to realize the goal of the Duterte administration of building more infrastructure projects during his term.

Marohomsalic, who has served the port of Davao for 25 years in various capacities, said that with his expertise as a Customs assessment officer, the collection of BOC-10 will surely increase. He was appointed by Duterte as port collector of Davao following the President’s assumption into office.

Enciso said he has welcomed Marohomsalic’s appointment since in his one-year stint as Davao’s port collector, he has exceeded his annual target by about P500 million.