DAVAO CITY—The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Davao has started talks on further expanding and modernizing the Sasa wharf to maximize efforts on trade facilitation and revenue collection, the agency said on Tuesday.
The BOC said it held talks with Globalport Terminals Inc., a Filipino-owned subsidiary that won a 20-year contract on cargo handling, passenger, roll-on/roll-off, and other port terminal-related services in the Port of Sasa.
The BOC said the modernization plan was to have a bigger and more modernized port to meet the government’s 8-point socioeconomic strategy “of boosting investments and improving infrastructure.”
The BOC said the modernization plan came in the wake of progress of the port’s performance in making the region a major player in international trade, and in the growth of its collection targets since 2016.
It said the significant increase “indicated how robust the local economy is in the Davao Region, clearly aligned with Globalport’s expansion project.”
Collection target
THIS week, the BOC reported it exceeded its 2022 collection target “ahead of schedule.”
“A month before the year ends, the Bureau of Customs-Port of Davao, including its sub-ports in General Santos City, Parang, and Mati, has already exceeded its annual target for the year 2022 after having collected P40.49 billion in duties and taxes, or 0.81 percent positive deviation against its assigned target of P40.17 billion,” it said.
For the month of November, the Davao port had also exceeded its monthly revenue target by 1.42 percent with a total revenue collection of P3.47 billion against its P3.41 billion target.
The Davao Port collection performance also reflected the BOC’s national collection performance saying that the BOC “has also already exceeded its whole-year collection target for 2022 as of early November this year, marking the bureau’s highest revenue performance to date. The agency collected P745.50 billion as of November 11, surpassing its collection target of P721.52 billion for the entire year by P23.98 billion or 3.27 percent.”
Time release study
THE BOC-Davao Port had also met with its counterparts on trade facilitation and border security in the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East Asean Growth Area. The discussions held last November explored the conduct of a “Time Release Study” (TRS) as part of the priority projects.
The BOC said the data from a TRS would help the Port of Davao improve its processes to comply with President Marcos Jr.’s policy on improving bureaucratic efficiency. A 2022 TRS conducted by the Port of Davao, the typical clearance time at the KTC Container Terminal was shorter by 23 percent, at two days, 31 minutes and 34 seconds, compared to the 2020 Port of Davao average.
The meeting discussed plans for a training on intercepting contraband and drugs for the customs officers of the four countries. A virtual launch of an international network to counter drug trafficking and illicit goods trading was being worked out.
“The Port of Davao’s participation in these projects equips its personnel with better tools and knowledge to intercept contraband, helping the Bureau fulfill its policy on zero tolerance for smuggling and illegal drugs,” it added.
Globalport Terminal executives discussed with BOC personnel plans “that include berthing management, container terminal management, passenger terminal management, stevedoring services, and reefer facilities and services.”
Both parties agreed to collaborate in the implementation of the Sasa modernization project and combine efforts to increase opportunities for the Davao Region’s economic development.
