LALONG lalakas ang Bureau of Customs – Port of NAIA (BOC – NAIA) sa paglaban at pagsugpo sa ilegal na pagpasok ng samu’t saring produkto sa bansa matapos itong lumahok sa 2-day workshop na inilunsad ng United States (US) kamakailan.

Lumahok ang BOC – NAIA sa kauna-unahang “Hybrid Virtual Workshop for International Air Cargo Interdiction Training (IACIT) ng United States Export Control and Related Border Security (US-EXBS) Program at ng United States Customs and Border Protection (US-CBP) noong Hunyo 17 at 18.

Ayon sa press statement ng BOC, layunin ng workshop ay “to train and impart the participants, through information sharing, with the best practices being used all over the world in order to meet the highly challenging task of securing the borders from illicit trade”.

Ipinaliwanag ng BOC na ang U.S. Export Control and Related Border Security Program ay programa ng U.S. na ang layunin ay tulungan ang ibang bansa tulad ng Pilipinas “to develop and improve their strategic trade and related border control systems in accordance with international standards, through technical assistance, exe­cutive exchanges and training workshops for border control and enforcement agencies”.

Ang Customs and Border Protection ay siya namang pangunahing border control agency ng U.S. na nakatoka sa pagreregulate at pagpafacilitate ng pandaigdigang kalakalan.

Sinabi ni NAIA District Collector Carmelita Talusan sa workshop na naglulunsad ng mga reporma at pinagbubuti ng BOC, sa pamumuno ni Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, ang pagpapatupad ng “border control”.

Ito ay nakabatay sa direktiba ni Guerrero upang matiyak ang malakas at mahigpit na paglaban sa anomang porma ng ilegal na gawain ng mga negosyanteng Ismagler at ng kanilang Customs brokers.

“In cooperation with international law enforcement bodies, the Bureau of Customs, through the Port of NAIA, will continue to work on ways to further strengthen border control, along with its mandates of trade facilitation and reve­nue collection, to achieve a Customs administration that is world-class and at par with global standards”, ayon pa kay Talusan.

Ang mga nagsidalo sa workshop ay sina EXBS Adviser Ransom Avila, CBP Attaché Bayron, CBP Officer Bradley, CBP Officer Nicholson, CBP Officer Rodriguez, CBP Program Manager Browning, Supervisory CBP Officer Vazquez, Sol Ogatis mula sa US Embassy, Dennis Manimbo ng Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-STMO), Atty. Geoffrey De Vera (deputy collector for assessment ng Port of Clark) at frontliners ng BOC – NAIA.