MANILA: Bureau of Customs (BOC) has implemented a 12-hour operations in six ports to efficiently serve the public. In a statement, the bureau said the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. operations would be from Monday to Saturday, which started on Monday, January 16.
The new working hour operations are being implemented in the following ports: Ports of Manila, Batangas, Davao, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and the Manila International Container Port. “To catch up with the increase in trade volume of big ports the Bureau has implemented the 12-hour operations (7am to 7 pm, including Saturdays” it said.
At the same time, the BOC also implemented a 24/7 operation (including Saturdays and Sundays) in the ports of Subic, Clark and Limay. “This extension of working hours has been implemented in order for the said ports to serve their stakeholders efficiently. This is also expected to ease the traffic in the areas mentioned,” the statement added.
On the other hand, the bureau announced that several banks are ready to accept payments from importers even after banking hours. The BOC noted that they have coordinated with the following accredited banks namely RCBC, Security Bank, Asia United Bank, and Deutsche Bank to accept and facilitate payments even beyond usual banking hours. “This move aims to assist stakeholder who, by any circumstances, cannot process their payments during regular work hours,” it added.
