The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is urging owners or claimants of imported goods covered by Letters of Authority (LOA) to settle the correct duties and taxes through voluntary payment rather than facing a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD). Section 224 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) allows owners or claimants to exercise this option within 15 days from the implementation of the LOA. BOC Commissioner Bien Rubio stated that voluntary payment will spare both the government and concerned parties from the complicated and lengthy process of Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) proceedings, while the imported goods remain held and exposed to government forfeiture.
Rubio cited Section 5 of Customs Administrative Order (CAO) 10-2020, which allows the immediate release of goods once proof of payment for the correct duties and taxes is presented, along with proof of local purchase by the owner or claimant. “If the claimant cannot produce proof of payment for the correct duties and taxes by the original importer, despite diligent efforts, they may voluntarily offer to pay the duties and taxes due on the imported items,” Rubio said. “This is available to claimants who can prove that they are bonafide purchaser of the imported goods,” the commissioner added.
The BOC chief issued this notice amid recent enforcement operations, which led to the seizure of ₱2.8 billion worth of high-end vehicles, including luxury brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren, fro.
