Philippines Customs Bureau Declares Tough Crackdown on Imported Steel

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Philippines Bureau of Customs has announced implementation of tough crackdown on steel imports into the country. The move comes in the midst of reports that undervalued and substandard steel imports are flooding the country’s local market.

The Customs order calls for stringent inspection of all steel shipments into the country through the Port of Manila (PoM) and the Manila International Container Port MICP). As per Customs directive, the officials are required to strictly monitor the weight and classification of imported steel products in order to ensure that they match with the declarations. In additions, the inspectors must ensure that all the shipments are assessed with the proper duties.

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All the incoming shipments are red-flagged, said port officials. This ensures that the shipments pass through stringent inspection procedures before they are released to importing companies.

As per sources, port officers had reported several instances of violations including non-declaration and misdeclaratiion on imported steel cargoes. Incidentally, four containers containing steel products including H-beams and couplings were recently seized by authorities. Also, steel companies including Steel Asia, allegedly involved in illegal imports,  are currently undergoing audit, said Philip Vincent Maronilla, Assistant Customs Commissioner.