By Joyce Pangco Pañares

BANGKOK—The Philippines will fully implement by the middle of the year a national single window customs transaction scheme that will facilitate a seamless flow of goods among member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asean deputy secretary general Sundram Pushpanathan said.

Sundram said the so-called Green Lane is the first step to achieving an Asean Single Window in which the 10 member-countries will integrate their respective customs databases to expedite release and clearance in a maximum of 30 minutes.

With the new scheme, data and information on goods will be submitted only once to an integrated and harmonized database under the Bureau of Customs, which in turn can be accessed by some 43 government agencies and private shipping organizations to hasten the release of licenses and clearances.

Green Lane facilities in the Philippines will be found in the Port of Manila, the Manila International Container Port, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Port of Cebu, where at least 70 percent of Philippine imports pass through and may already qualify for non-inspection.

Some 15 percent of goods entering the country pass through the yellow lane for documentary examination while the other 15 percent go through the red lane for regular customs examination.

“The Philippines will implement the scheme by mid-2009, along with Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand,” Sundram said. Singapore’s single window system is operational, while Indonesia in on its third phase.

Some of the agencies and groups that have signed up with Customs are the Philippine National Police, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Agriculture Department, the Association of International Shipping Lines and Bankers Association of the Philippines.