DOF Launches Digital Pre-Border Verification System

The Committee on Pre-border Technical Verification and Cross-border Electronic Invoicing (CPTVCEI), led by the Department of Finance (DOF), has issued a Joint Administrative Order (JAO) to implement AO No. 23, series of 2024. This establishes the Digital and Integrated System for Pre-border Technical Verification and Cross-border Electronic Invoicing to protect consumers from unsafe goods.

The initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, which prioritizes bureaucratic efficiency by streamlining government processes and promoting transparency in public service.

“With the newly issued JAO, we can now begin strengthening our border protection through digitalization,” said Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto. “This is a significant step toward ending smuggling, misdeclaration, and undervaluation. It not only protects consumers from counterfeit and substandard goods but also enables the collection of much-needed revenues. Sisiguraduhin po namin sa DOF ang maayos at mabilis na pagpapatupad ng AO 23.”

JAO No. 001-2025 outlines specific roles and rules to implement AO 23. It simplifies customs procedures, expedites inspections of imported goods, strengthens border security, and protects consumers from substandard products.

The system ensures compliance with Philippine safety and quality standards while promoting transparency through a single electronic invoicing system. It also enhances inter-agency coordination for effective trade monitoring.

The JAO aims to curb smuggling, misdeclaration, and undervaluation by ensuring compliance before goods reach Philippine borders.

The JAO is a result of collaboration among CPTVCEI members, chaired by the DOF. It underscores the administration’s commitment to fostering a well-coordinated and effective governance framework.

CPTVCEI members include the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Representatives from industry associations, such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry Organization of the Philippines (CPIOPI), also contribute to the initiative.