One can trace the roots and the history of imports and exports here in the Philippines as far as the first visit of the large vessel ships of our Spanish colonial ancestors. Who can ever forget the trade that existed between the Spaniards and our Filipino ancestors during that time. Spices were being traded for the ever famous “3Gs” (God, Guns and Gold). It was that time that Christianity was being thought as a trade material.
But as time passed by and with the emergence of a more orderly and systematic Filipino way of life coupled with the influence of the ever improving modern technology, more solid and regulated laws and regulations were formed by the government in order to improve the governance of imports and exports as well as its business and the people behind the market.
Today, the governance and the government itself had developed and is currently using laws and regulations in the imposition of duties and taxes to the country’s import and export industry and other sectors of society which in the other way or the other, has some connections with the above-mentioned industry. The Republic of the Philippines is currently suing the Customs and Tariff Code of the Philippines as the mainframe consisting policies and regulations with regards to the import and export industry.
It is within this regulating code that a more evaluated and more stipulated regulations and laws on the industry are drawn. From the most detailed to the more complex material being imported and exported are carefully detailed. The penalties and fines are likewise enumerated. Stiffer laws and regulations are also illustrated in the code.
The only problem that arises is that some of those who are into these industry businesses gets to manipulate the code and sometimes try to override the system that the code wants to implement. They sometimes use power and authority in doing such unscrupulous and illegal activities.
With the large and promising amount of money and income involved in these illegal transactions, it is not far that various smugglers and monsters be attracted into these kinds of businesses. And because of these rampant wrongdoings, the government must employ and draw out much stiffer rules that imposes more penalties to those who break the law.
The Customs and Tariff Code of the Philippines is a good code with respect to the governance of the imports and exports policies of the country. The only hindrance to better development of the industry is the people governed and bounded to follows the rules and regulation embodied in the code and the system that they have to follow. There should also be a major change in the system. The code is nothing and is as good as mere scraps of paper and remains an idea without the people who properly implements it and without the good system that goes with it.
