MANILA, Philippines – Contrary to popular belief that only Philippine Postal Corporation employees handle incoming mail, particularly parcels from overseas, the job is jointly performed by PhilPost and Bureau of Customs or BOC.
PhilPost issued this clarification to inform the public about the correct and established procedure of parcel handling at the post. The corporation was reacting to an alleged statement attributed to President Aquino during the 110th anniversary of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) regarding supposed horror stories on corruption at the bureau, citing a certain incident at the post office which is directly under Philpost.
According to PhilPost officials, once a parcel is received from a foreign country, Philpost and BoC manpower assigned at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay will mark parcels that are subject for taxation which are then held under the custody of the BoC. Philpost will then notify the recipient of the parcel regarding the package. Once the recipient comes to the post office to pick up the package, he/she will be referred to the designated customs officer for proper parcel taxation. After settling all the taxes imposed by the BoC, the parcel again goes to Philpost to be delivered or handed through the post office counter to the addressee.
Officials of Philpost added that the agency has no knowledge about reported “bartering” nor “haggling” of monetary dues for the release of a customer’s parcel. They also added that all taxes paid by the customer are directly received by the customs personnel. The only role of PhilPost is to deliver the parcel to the doorstep of the recipient or via the PhilPost counters throughout the country.
The post is now on the cleansing stage under the stewardship of Postmaster General and CEO Josie Dela Cruz. The agency is undergoing a systems review especially in the delivery of parcels. CCTV cameras were installed at the workplace closely monitored by personnel to mitigate mail pilferage especially at their CMEC where the bulk of the foreign mail and parcels are processed for delivery.
Philpost is now also incorporating new technology in its line of business positioning the agency as a major player in the area of logistics delivery in the country.