BAN THEN BURN?
About 100 to 150 boxes of used clothing sent by donors abroad for victims of typhoon Yolanda victims may end up in the fire.
Stored as confiscated cargo in the Port of Cebu, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it will be disposed of at the end of the year.
Lawyer Kenneth Sesante, BOC-Cebu chief of staff, explained that the used clothes were supposed to be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for calamity victims.
¨There is a deed of donation for this after we communicated with the Department of Finance but there was no response from the DSWD central office,¨Sesante said in a press conference this week.
He said there was a standing order from DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman not to accept used clothing due to health and sanitation factors, and because it was “demeaning” to give these to typhoon victims.
It’s illegal to import used clothes under the Tarriff and Customs Code and Republic Act No. 4653 or the ¨Act to safeguard the health of the Filipino people and maintain the dignity of the nation through prohibition of the importation of used clothing and rags.”
LACK OF AWARENESS
However, lack of awareness of this policy and the massive relief drive that prompted waves of donations after typhoon Yolanda hit in November 2013, resulted in shipments of relief goods that ended up stuck in the Port of Cebu.
¨It depends on the DSWD if they would accept it. Otherwise disposing of it is the option.”
He said disposal would mean burning or burying the goods.
Sesante said the Customs could not sell the used clothes because it was contraband. Neither could they pass it on to affected local government units (LGUs) without violating RA No. 4653.
For now, the used clothes from various countries are stored at the Cebu International Port (CIP) within the BOC compound.
Sesante said the peak of donations was in December 2013 to January this year.
“There is strict security within the area with Closed Circuit Televison (CCTV) cameras. Even customs employees are monitored,” he said.
REVISED GUIDELINES
BOC released this month Revised Guidelines and Procedures on Customs Clearance of International Donations Availing of Duty/ Tax Exemptions During Calamities.
The government rules are substantially the same, but are presented more clearly in a single policy that integrates regulations of different agencies for One Stop Shop processing.
This aims to help guide the consignee and beneficiaries in order to prevent delays.
“We will disseminate the procedures since we don´t also want our donors to be disappointed as they donate,¨ he said.
Prohibited goods include adulterated or misbranded food and drugs and used clothing.
Also banned are medicines without English translations in their immediate labels and not listed in the Philippine National Formulary or not registered in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – counterpart in the country origin and with expiry less than six months upon arrival.
Goods that are regulated, requiring import permits or clearance, are medicine, medical devices and equipment, rice, toys, processed foods, and telecommunication equipment.
The regulatory agencies for these donated are the Food and Drugs Administration, National Food Authority, and National Telecommunications Commission.