THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has denied that port congestion is responsible for delays in rice shipments entering the country.
In a statement released on Saturday, the BOC clarified that at the Port of Manila, 258 containers of rice remain in the yard. Of these, 237 have been cleared for release after payment of duties and taxes. The remaining 21 containers, representing 8.13%, were only declared on September 20, 2024, and are still undergoing clearance procedures.
Similarly, at the Manila International Container Port, 630 rice containers are being held, with 492 already cleared for release.
The BOC emphasized that none of these shipments have exceeded the 30-day period stipulated by the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) for claiming goods after payment of duties and taxes.
“The BOC emphasizes that none of these shipments have exceeded the 30-day period stipulated by Section 1129(d) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA). 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,” the BOC stated.
The agency concluded that the rice shipments are ready for release once consignees fulfill their responsibilities, and the accumulation at the ports is not due to any delays caused by congestion.
