Subic BoC to implement ‘zero contact’ policy by Nov. 5

The Bureau of Customs will soon implement a “zero contact” policy in business transactions at the Port of Subic under the Enhanced Goods Declaration Verification System, or 1-Assessment System, which is designed to curtail corruption in processing cargoes and thus increase revenue collection for the government.

This was bared by Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Ian Dy of the Management and Information Technology Group of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) during a dialogue with business locators, brokers and representatives of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) here.

The 1-Assessment project will start here on November 5, with Subic as one of the pilot ports in the country, while the program will be fully implemented nationwide starting the first week of January 2019, Dy added.

Under the new system, the broker or the shipper will be prohibited from visiting or talking to the BoC examiner or appraiser or any personnel of the BoC while the documents of the cargo are still being processed. Otherwise, a stiff penalty will be imposed upon the violating party, Dy added.

Meanwhile, brokers and BoC officials should only communicate through the 1-Assessment portal where all their messages regarding a particular cargo can be read by the BoC Commissioner or his authorized officers.

Dy explained that 1-Assessment is a web-based queue management software/application that provides bias-free assessment by randomly assigning appraisers and examiners to goods entering the Port of Subic from foreign countries.

Among the main objectives of the 1-Assessment program is to prevent corruption by institutionalizing the “Zero Contact Policy” in transacting business with the BoC. This is designed to suppress the “suki system” in the cargo clearance process with the random assignment of examiners and appraisers to a given goods declaration.

Dy stressed that the good news about 1-Assessment is the transparency in the processing of goods declaration using a first-in-first-out basis, where the assignment of examiners or appraisers is done automatically by computers without human intervention, except by the Assessment Chief in case the assigned examiner or appraiser reached is not yet available.

SBMA Deputy Administrator for Ports Marketing Ronnie Yambao welcomed the implementation of the new system, saying it will enhance the agency’s thrust to make business in Subic transparent and efficient.

“The 1-Assessment is a program of the national government that supports the vision of SBMA to provide efficient services to all of Subic locators, especially port users,” Yambao said during the forum.

He added that the implementation of 1-Assessment program will help prevent corrupt practices and attract more shippers to transfer to Subic port.

“This is a one-time big-time opportunity to change the culture and custom inside the BoC,” Dy concluded his presentation.

He said that BoC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña’s marching order for all BoC personnel was to eradicate corruption in the Bureau. (MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:

Some of the piers and wharves at the Port of Subic 

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SBMA chair warns smugglers: ‘Heads will roll’

Subic Bay Metropolitan (SBMA) Chairman Martin Diño warned crooked businessmen not to use the Subic Bay Freeport for their smuggling operation, adding that the Subic agency will not spare anyone in its campaign against corruption.

Diño issued the warning as he announced the seizure of a 10-wheeler truck (RNK 394) loaded with 36 units of used industrial sewing machine and other office equipment with an estimated total value of P2.65 million.

The cargo was declared as assorted scrap materials from the Subic Bay Apparel Corp., a company which has closed at the Naval Magazine area here. The cargo was declared as worth only P10,000.

Diño said that SBMA law enforcers and personnel of the Bureau of Customs (Port of Subic) stopped the cargo truck last Friday, May 19, after its driver Roel Taloban, 24, of New Cabalan, Olongapo City, failed to show a clearance from the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

Diño added that because of the incident, BoC CIIS Lt. Gino Minguilian asked Subic authorities to review the documents and CCTV footages of haulers exiting the Freeport gate at Tipo Road.

From these it was found that on May 11, 12 and 15, five other hauling trucks loaded with 109 heavy duty sewing machines, computers, office chairs, 300 rolls of fabric and other materials, have passed through Tipo Road. The cargoes were reportedly transported to the San Simon Industrial Park in Pampanga.

“We will know who were involved in this, where it passed, or whether this was happening regularly,” Diño also said. “This time we are sending a clear signal to all businessmen, as well as our people at the gate, that the SBMA is serious in stopping smuggling here.”

The SBMA official further said that he is consulting now with the agency lawyers to find ways on how to run after smugglers.

“Definitely, like what we are doing at the VACC (Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption), there will be heads rolling here,” he assured the media.

Meanwhile, Minguilian said that he has already relieved BoC personnel who were assigned in Tipo at the time when the trucks in question passed the Freeport gate. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA administrator buckles down to work, cites priority programs

Newly appointed Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Atty. Wilma Eisma disclosed her priority programs in running the agency as she urged SBMA officials and employees to begin with her a new chapter in revitalizing Subic and chart its future.

“I came here alone with no entourage because I have each and every one of you who are experts in this place. Let us work together for a bigger, better, brighter Subic,” Eisma told SBMA employees following last week’s turnover of the SBMA helm to the new administrator.

Eisma emphasized that strong work ethic, reasonable use of resources, honesty, transparency and following the law will mark her leadership and will serve as a commitment to what she described as a standard each employee should adhere to professionalize SBMA services towards regaining and sustaining the confidence of the investors.

She said her leadership is challenged to increase the container traffic and get the airport running by improving its equipment and intensifying its port marketing campaign by utilizing its P553 million allocated budget.

Among her priorities include targeting zero complaint by eliminating “red tape and waiting time” through streamlining of the process flow in applying for business permits, registration and other necessary documents related to the business needs of investors in compliance to President Duterte’s guidelines to issue all necessary permits, and other similar documents in three days or less.

Eisma exhorted the SBMA Law Enforcement Department to step up in making the Subic Freeport the safest place for locators, tourists and residents by intensifying to professionalize all security officers through trainings and refresher courses.

She also called on the Ecology Center to make the Freeport clean and green by spearheading clean and green initiatives, such as serving tap water, instead of bottled water, during meetings, keeping the surroundings clean of trash and imposing strict laws against litterers.

Introduction of policy reforms and good governance programs, as well as amending Republic Act 7227, if necessary, and intensify programs for a drug-free work place by applying zero tolerance on illegal drugs are also among Eisma’s priority programs.

The new SBMA administrator also cited the importance of professionalizing and developing personnel to bring SBMA to the modern and developed world. She said meritocracy will be the norm where promotion and recognition will be based on capacity on how an employee met his objectives.

Eisma again expressed her gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for trusting her to serve again the country as she expressed her delight in coming back to Subic Freeport saying, “I’m glad that I am finally back home.”

I would like to thank President Duterte for trusting me to serve again our country. I never thought I will get this job, that is why I am very thankful that he believes in me,” she said.

Eisma started her career as a volunteer during the initial years of the SBMA. She worked at the House of Representatives and joined the private sector as a corporate affairs professional with the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International.

On December 21, the President appointed her to the position of administrator and CEO of SBMA replacing former chairman and administrator Roberto Garcia. She assumed office Monday, January 16 and attended her first flag raising ceremony with employees and officers of the agency. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
SBMA Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (3rd from left), along with the new members of the Board of Directors, answers questions from the press in her first media briefing. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Network vs illicit trade launched in Subic Freeport

Representatives of various community sectors here formed on Thursday a grassroots network of volunteers to help fight illegal business activities in support of the Duterte administration’s drive against smuggling and counterfeit goods.

The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) organized the network as a public-private partnership under the Fight Illicit Trade (Fight IT) Movement, which it had earlier established along its anti-illicit trade advocacy.

FPI Chairman Jesus Arranza, who is also Fight IT lead convener, said the movement brings together volunteers from local government units, law-enforcement agencies, business chambers, educational institutions, civic organizations and other community groups to commit in the campaign against illicit trade.

“Through the Fight IT Warriors network, the movement will be able to provide reliable intelligence to law-enforcement groups that will help them in tackling the illicit-trade problem,” Arranza said.

A recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) commissioned by European Chamber of Commerce said Southeast Asian countries are at the bottom of the pack when it comes to the fight against illicit trade. Worse still, the problem could grow, the EIU added.

Arranza said the Subic Bay Freeport was chosen for the launch of the movement because of its “strong sense of volunteerism and civic spirit supporting the administration in its programs, especially in the enforcement of laws and regulations.”

Subic’s strategic location as a regional transshipment hub, with an active port that handles tons of shipments daily, also makes it an ideal site for the kickoff, he added.

Around 300 volunteers were sworn in as the movement’s Fight IT Warriors during the movement’s launching at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on Thursday.

Accordingly, the “warriors” pledged to report sightings of fake or smuggled goods, as well as suspected illicit-trade practices in their communities to help authorities apprehend and prosecute illegal traders.

The volunteers were also tasked to join and actively participate in initiatives fostering illicit-trade awareness and enforcement issues, trainings on counterfeit spotting and identification, and workshops to enforce actions against trademark violators.

Most important of all, network members pledged to promote the purchase of genuine products to show full support to the movement’s advocacy.

Meanwhile, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman Martin Diño, who welcomed participants to the launch, expressed his full support to the movement.

“The entire Subic community joins our administration’s relentless campaign against criminality and corruption. And among the steps we are about to take is to flag the presence of illegal activities and raise the problem of illicit trade to the fore,” Diño said.

In the same occasion, The Fight IT Movement unveiled its full-feature web site www.fightillicittrade.com, which features a reporting mechanism for warriors as well as the general public. The site ensures the confidentiality of the sources’ identity, movement leaders said.

The public can also report sightings of illicit products in local areas through the web site and its local hotline 722-3409. (Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

PHOTO:
“Fight IT Warriors” from the Lyceum of Subic signify their commitment to help combat illegal trade during the launch of the Fight Illicit Trade (Fight IT) Movement at the Subic Bay Freeport on Thursday. (HEE, BusinessMirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/network-vs-illicit-trade-launched-in-subic-freeport/

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SBMA employees sign Integrity Pledge to stamp out corruption

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is confident of stamping out corruption in this premier free port, as officers and employees of the agency signed the Integrity Pledge to support the national campaign to eliminate graft and corruption.

Led by agency head Chairman Roberto Garcia, more than 1,000 senior officials and employees of the SBMA formally indicated their commitment to ethical business practices during a mass signing ceremony held at the start of the recent SBMA Mini-Olympics.

Garcia said that practicing good governance, such as eliminating red tape and undertaking transparent and faster transactions, goes a long way in promoting good business and building investor confidence.

“We have seen the fruits of good governance right here at the SBMA,” Garcia said, pointing out that with such practice SBMA was able to resurrect its finances from the brink of bankruptcy to become one of the top revenue contributors among the economic zones in the country.

Garcia said that the SBMA managed to remit a total of P572.9 million worth of dividends to the national government in 2015 after posting total revenue of P2.75 billion.

“Last year, we were ranked number 11 among all the government-owned or –controlled companies,” Garcia noted.

The Integrity Pledge is a document whereby an individual or company expresses commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against graft and corruption.

Garcia signed the Integrity Pledge on behalf of the agency in June 2013 as a means to instill a culture of transparency and accountability in the Subic Bay Freeport.

The pledge is acknowledged to be an effective tool in preventing corruption in public contracting, as it stipulates rights and obligations to the effect that neither side will pay, offer, demand or accept bribes, collude with competitors to obtain contract; or engage in such abuses while executing the contract.

Garcia said that the SBMA has institutionalized the Integrity Pledge in the Subic Bay Freeport with the creation of a Code of Conduct for all employees and officials of SBMA, and encouraging stakeholders like business locators, suppliers, and the local government units surrounding the Freeport to sign the Integrity Pledge before any transaction is to be made.

The SBMA board has also passed a resolution recently making the Integrity Pledge a precondition to the renewal of business permits for all locators in the free port.

In January 2015, the SBMA sponsored a mass signing of the Integrity Pledge for more than 150 executives from various locators and investors here in Subic, making it the first Philippine free port to do so. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
SBMA employees sign the Integrity Pledge during a mass signing ceremony in support of the national campaign against graft and corruption. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA reports P202-M revenue in trade facilitation

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced that it posted a total of P202 million in revenue from trade facilitation and compliance fees collected last year from importers, brokers, processors, and other stakeholders in this free port.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that based on the annual report submitted by SBMA's Trade and Facilitation and Compliance Department (TFCD), the department’s revenue for 2015 represented an increase of P51 million, or 34 percent, compared to the P151 million recorded in 2014.

Garcia said the increase in earnings is the direct result of the implementation of key objectives and strategies in all SBMA departments to deliver the best services to clients and to sustain the agency’s positive performance in the last three years.

The measures include promotion of good governance, where SBMA has institutionalized the integrity pledge (IP) among employees in support of the agency’s crusade against graft and corruption; transparency in communicating with importers, brokers, processors, and other stakeholders through consultative meetings; and fiscal responsibility by implementing stricter collection procedures and monitoring of the same.

“The satisfaction of our locators and investors with regards to the services they received from SBMA is to some measure reflected on the upward movement in our statistics,” Garcia explained.

“It’s good to know that the figures are all positive,” he added.

TFCD officer-in-charge Anna Joy Quito meanwhile said that better service to customers had, indeed, resulted in better earnings for the department.

She said that export value freight on board (FOB) reached a total of US$2.52 billion in 2015, which is 11 percent higher than the US$2.26 billion in 2014.

Quito explained that under SBMA’s good governance initiatives, the department has succeeded in providing services in a much shorter period of time than the minimum requirement.

She cited as example that while the target time for issuing an admission permit from time of application is 16 hours, the department has lately managed to shorten this to an average of 7.9 hours, or a decrease in processing time of 51 percent.

Another area where the TFCD successfully introduced faster processing time is in Export Declaration clearance, where actual processing time is now 30 minutes, or down by 94 percent from the target time of eight hours.

Quito added that the department will conduct benchmarking with other ports and ecozones in the country to establish and adopt best practices in trade facilitation to increase further the efficiency of the Subic port.

The TFCD facilitates admission of goods into the Subic Bay Freeport through efficient delivery of frontline services, such as processing of permits on imports and exports, and keeping locators or investors in step with all procedural guidelines implemented by the SBMA. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Roberto V. Garcia (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Subic Freeport locators pledge to curb corruption

More than 150 executives from various locator-companies and investors in this free port signed the Integrity Pledge on Friday, marking another significant milestone for the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in its fight against corruption.

In a ceremony held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC), SBMA officials led by Chairman Roberto Garcia administered the Integrity Pledge (IP) for representatives of investor firms here in support of President Aquino’s reform agenda and to strengthen the agency’s corporate governance initiatives, and create a more conducive investment climate.

“Good governance means good business, and we have seen the fruits of good governance,” said Garcia stressed during the ceremony.

“Aside from being a good corporate citizen, companies that sign this pledge will get certain perks given to clean and ethical companies,” Garcia pointed out.

He added that the SBMA’s Integrity Program has been endorsed by the SBMA Board of Directors through a board resolution last year.

The Integrity Pledge, which was introduced in the country by the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), is a document signed by heads of companies and government agencies to express their commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against graft and corruption.

The pledge is regarded as an effective tool aimed at preventing corruption in public contracting, as it enables companies to abstain from bribing by providing assurances that their competitors will likewise refrain from bribery.

At the same time, it enables the government to reduce the high cost and distorting impact of corruption on private procurement, privatization or business licensing, and issuance of permits.

The IP stipulates rights and obligations to the effect that neither side will pay, offer, demand or accept bribes, collude with competitors to obtain contract, or engage in such abuses while executing the contract.

Garcia said that SBMA has institutionalized IP in the Subic Freeport with the creation of a Code of Conduct for all employees and officials of SBMA. With this development, the SBMA will now also require stakeholders like Freeport locators, neighboring local government units (LGUs), and suppliers to sign the Integrity Pledge before any transaction is made.

Garcia praised the Bureau of Customs (Port of Subic) Collector Arnulfo Marcos for joining the IP signing and for being the first to submit his accomplished and signed IP form.

Meanwhile, in his address, Dr. Edilberto de Jesus of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), said that of the hundreds of companies nationwide that applied and were assessed by the Integrity Initiative Office, only 33 had passed and only 12 were given Integrity Pledge certifications.

“Integrity is not easy to find these days,” De Jesus said. “What we have done today is the first step towards a fairly long journey. While the process is very difficult, it is the right thing to do and it should be done.”

In closing the ceremony, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Joy Alvarado urged the locators and investors to “start in your heart and in your own office the practice of Integrity Pledge.”

“Fight corruption; start the integrity revolution and see how you will shine as days pass,” Alvarado added. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:
Ayala Harbor Point manager Derrick Manuel (Photo 1) and Didet Danguilan, communications manager of Philip Morris Philippines, Inc. (Photo 2) present a signed Integrity Pledge to SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia during the mass signing ceremony for Subic Bay Freeport locators at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on January 30. Looking on are SBMA Deputy Administrator for Business Joy Alvarado, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce president Rose Baldeo, and Dr. Edilberto de Jesus of the Asian Institute of Management. (AED/MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA locators required to sign Integrity Pledge

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is set to require locators, suppliers and contractors of the Subic Bay Freeport to sign the Integrity Pledge in line with its commitment to promote ethical business practices.

According to SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia, the agency would encourage local government units it has transactions with to be part of the initiative.

The move is being taken to make other stakeholders in the freeport involved in the agency’s commitment to eliminate graft and corruption.

In July, the SBMA signed the Integrity Initiative which is a private sector led effort aimed at helping the country escape from the vicious cycle of corruption through strengthening ethical standards in the society.

The initiative is a formal and concrete expression of commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against corruption.

Upon signing of the pledge, the SBMA has implemented various measures to ensure transparency and implemented strict guidelines on receiving and giving of gifts, contributions, sponsorships and other tokens from or to all sectors.

“As a matter of fact, the SBMA is already implementing appropriate internal systems and controls to prevent, detect, and respond to any unethical conduct by our personnel, ensure good governance, and institutionalize the values of integrity and accountability in our business transactions,” he said.

To facilitate the implementation of measures aimed at promoting ethical business practices within the freeport, Garcia said the agency will also be forming a monitoring team.

He noted that the SBMA has long been involved in promoting ethical business practices through the eradication of one major source of corruption which is red tape.

The agency has been working to simplify processes and expedite transactions in accordance with Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. (Louella D. Desiderio, Philippine Star)

http://www.philstar.com/business/2014/10/13/1379429/sbma-locators-required-sign-integrity-pledge

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SBMA institutionalizes Integrity Program

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), in line with its corporate governance initiative and in support of President Aquino’s “Tuwid na Daan” program, is now moving to institutionalize the Integrity Pledge (IP) program, which requires ethical business practices.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said the program will cover all officials and employees of the agency and will promote measures to eliminate graft and corruption in transactions within the free port.

Garcia also said that under the program, the SBMA will require Subic Bay Freeport stakeholders like business locators, as well as suppliers and contractors to sign the Integrity Pledge to remain in good standing with the SBMA.

The SBMA will also encourage local government units (LGUs) that transact business with the SBMA to sign the pledge. The SBMA provides revenue shares to eight LGUs that are contiguous to or affected by the operations of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Garcia, as head of the SBMA, signed in July last year the Integrity Pledge, which expressed the agency’s commitment to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national campaign against graft and corruption.

He said that upon signing of the Integrity Pledge, the SBMA implemented various measures to ensure transparency and implemented strict guidelines on receiving and giving of gifts, contributions, sponsorships and other tokens from or to all sectors.

“As a matter of fact, the SBMA is already implementing appropriate internal systems and controls to prevent, detect, and respond to any unethical conduct by our personnel, ensure good governance, and institutionalize the values of integrity and accountability in our business transactions,” Garcia also noted.

He added that the SBMA has long been eradicating one major source of corruption, the red tape, in its offices by continuous simplification of processes to expedite transactions in accordance with R.A. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape act of 2007.

Proof of this effort, Garcia said, is the agency’s certification for ISO 9001:2008, which refers to quality management system that ensure that customers get consistent and good quality products and services.

In a recent briefing on “Improving the Business Climate Thru Integrity Initiative,” Jose Solomon Cortez of the Integrity Initiative Office explained that the program aims to prevent corruption in public contracting to the effect that neither the government agency nor the bidders will pay, offer, demand, or accept bribes, or collude with competitors to obtain contract.

Garcia said that all these measures are designed to impress upon everybody that the SBMA is seriously committed to help break the cycle of corruption.

He said that a monitoring team will be formed to facilitate the implementation and document the success of the agency's initiatives. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

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