By Lane Afable, News Editor
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will set up a dedicated office to further ease international trade processes in the country.
This was bared during the 2026 Logistics Summit hosted by the Procurement and Supply Institute of Asia.
Deputy Commissioner lawyer Agaton Teodoro Uvero cited that initially, BOC will create the Large Importers Office (LIO) to directly oversee trade facilitation programs, including the Super Green Lane (SGL) and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) as well as other stakeholders.
Uvero said, the LIO will serve as an ad hoc office until the proposed permanent unit – to be called Trade Facilitation Service, headed by a director – is created through an executive order and fully organized.
“The proposal will be submitted first to BOC’s mother agency, the Department of Finance, for approval.
“Moreover, the creation of the Trade Facilitation Service is also part of BOC’s proposed rationalization plan,” he said.
Uvero noted that despite trade facilitation being one of BOC’s mandates aside from revenue collection and border protection, so far, there is no permanent office dedicated for that function.
Even the SGL program has no permanent office overseeing it and officers assigned there have functions in other offices as well.
Moreover, there are no permanent units handling trade negotiations and coordination with international organizations.
“With the lack of a permanent office [for trade facilitation] at the BOC there is really no unit, no officer just looking at simplifying, harmonizing, looking at the process gaps, inefficiencies,” Uvero said.
He added that normally, regulation is biased towards revenue collection, which “a lot of times, it impacts on the facilitation of trade.”
He noted that while revenue collection and border protection are important, trade facilitation to promote ease of doing business and reduce costs is as important.
The office will be similar to the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Large Taxpayers Division, which monitors, assesses, and collects taxes from major corporations and individuals to maximize revenue. It ensures compliance through specialized audits, electronic systems, and dedicated taxpayer assistance for high-value entities.
The envisioned permanent office will come with plantilla positions, meaning staff will be permanently assigned to the unit with funding included in the annual budget.
