The Philippines officially kicked off its National Time Release Study (TRS) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), focusing on sea cargo import and export clearance processes. The TRS capacity building is part of the multi-year partnership of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) with the World Customs Organization (WCO) Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, supported by the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The two-week initiative, held from 30 June to 11 July 2025, marked a major step in the country’s efforts to enhance trade facilitation through collaborative and data-driven reforms.
Organised under the auspices of the Philippines Trade Facilitation Committee (PTFC), the official launch event on 3 July 2025 convened senior officials from the BOC, Trade Regulatory Government Agencies (TRGAs), and the Private sector.
The significance of the TRS as both a diagnostic and performance measurement tool to identify bottlenecks and enhance clearance efficiency was emphasized. The high-level representatives appreciated the opportunity that the TRS provides to the MICP as the country’s largest container port and for more efficient seaborne trade to further boost the Philippines’ national competitiveness in the region
The WCO’s two-week in-country support mission resulted in validation of the TRS’ scope, business process mapping, confirmation of the sampling methodology, the finalized TRS questionnaire, and an updated data dictionary. Further to this, field data collection took place at MICP to capture the real-time and manual timestamps along the import and export clearance processes. In parallel, system-based data retrieval was initiated to enable comprehensive cross-validation and immediate processing. The PTFC’s TRS Technical Working Group started the validation and analysis of the collected data on-site, generating early insights and driving momentum towards concrete results. Leveraging the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme’s blended approach to capacity building and technical assistance, initial preparations were conducted virtually with the TRS Working Group prior to the in-country phase.
The final TRS report is expected by the end of 2025 and will serve as a foundation for improving cargo clearance efficiency, informing evidence-based reforms, and supporting national coordination efforts through the PTFC. Moreover, with the obtained knowledge and skills, the PTFC will conduct more TRS with regular intervals at various border posts – aligning the Philippines with WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Article 7.6 on establishing and publishing average release times for goods.
The WCO, in partnership with the BOC and the PTFC, looks forward to continued collaboration towards sustainable trade facilitation and strengthened institutional capacity in the Philippines.
For more information on the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, please see here.