BPI sets up border control for agri products in Subic port

In its effort to provide a better and more efficient way to safeguard the agricultural industry in the country, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) inaugurated its Plant Quarantine Service (PQS) office here Tuesday morning. 

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño led the inauguration of the National Plant Quarantine Services Division (NPQSD) office at the Subic Bay Freeport on Tuesday.

According to Laurel, the NPQSD office aims to prevent the entry of foreign pests into the country via the Subic port, contain and minimize the spread of pests already existing in the country, and comply with the phytosanitary requirements of trading partners. 

“Today, we are making substantial progress in our aim to guarantee the well-being of our agriculture industry and the prosperity of our farmers,” Laurel said.

“The establishment of this new office in Subic holds a significant importance due to its position as a prominent center for trade and logistics. Let us continuously improve our border control system with increased efficiency and effectiveness,” he added.

SBMA Chairman Aliño welcomed this gesture from the BPI’s NPQSD since it would help foil the smuggling of illegal agricultural products in the Freeport.

He added that the agencies involved, including the Bureau of Customs (BOC), are all working in line with President Marcos’ thrust to combat agricultural smuggling, providing a digitized government service, and ensuring proper border control.

DA BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban has requested the BOC to order all imports of plant-based agricultural commodities go through the PQO at the respective ports for mandatory document verification and inspection.

Customs Memorandum Circular (CMC) No. 102-2024 signed on June 7 by Customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio states that this is a requirement regardless of the categories that the plant-based agricultural commodities may fall under.

The procedure is in compliance with the provisions stated in DA’s Department Circular No. 4 series of 2016, which provides guidelines on the importation of plants, planting materials, and plant products for commercial purposes.

Under Article VI Section 23 of the DA circular, the plant commodities are subject to the existing procedures for inspection at the port of entry.

 The NPQSD cited that upon the arrival of the consignment, the importer should apply for inspection (BPI Q Form No. 4) at the PQS office in the port of entry. The importer should provide pertinent documents during inspection, while samples of the commodity will also be collected for laboratory analysis. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA, DA sign MOA for P509-M agri border control facility in Subic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of a control facility for fresh and frozen agri-fishery commodities entering the country through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma and Agriculture Secretary William Dar formalized the agreement here on Friday, following initial talks in July.

The proposed Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA) in Subic—the first of five such facilities planned to be built nationwide —will cost P509.5 million and will facilitate 100-percent inspection of agri-fishery cargoes arriving here.

“It will also enhance industrial and commercial activities in Subic and foster the free flow of goods in the Freeport Zone,” Eisma noted.

The project supports the national government’s thrust to strengthen the food safety regulatory system in the country to protect consumer health as mandated by Republic Act No. 10611, or “An Act to Strengthen the Food Safety Regulatory System in the Country to Protect Consumer Health and Facilitate Market Access of Local Foods and Food Products.”

Sec. Dar said the Subic CEFA will ideally be constructed in a 2,000-sqm area along the San Bernardino Road near Subic’s New Container Terminal. The CEFA will be completed within eight months upon the start of construction, he added.

Dar said the DA will use the property strictly as a “first border facility” to thoroughly inspect imported containerized agri-fishery commodities and prevent the entry of transboundary agri-fishery pests and diseases.

He said the facility will house examination areas and laboratories intended for the execution quarantine and inspection protocols enforced by the agency’s Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

“We have also taken into consideration the volume of cargoes arriving here,” Dar pointed out. “We expect 26,000 containers of meat, meat products, fisheries and plant commodities to enter the Subic Freeport each year,” he added, citing the need to examine all these cargoes.

With the proposed facility, Dar said the DA will be able to undertake 100 percent in-depth inspection of containerized animal, fish and plant commodities identified through the Risk Assessment Categorization, and will be complemented by the X-ray screening of the Bureau of Customs which will be subject to sampling and laboratory testing.

He said the facility will also have a crematorium to dispose of confiscated agricultural products and by-products, including those mis-declared, unfit for human consumption, and contaminated and/or infected.

“I assure everyone that the emission from the components of the crematorium and its appurtenance will not cause harm to the health and well-being of the port workers and port users or cause adverse effect to the environment,” Dar also said.

Prior to the signing of agreement, Dar had announced that the Subic CEFA will earn at least P130 million a year in testing and inspection fees.

The DA said similar facilities are being eyed for construction in the ports of Manila, Batangas, Cebu and Davao. (MPD-SBMA)

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