MANILA --  As part of the inter-agency cooperation and coordination, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on August 04, 2021, signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the real-time transfer of the BOC’s records on payments of customs duties and taxes for imported vehicles to the LTO’s new Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).

The BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero and LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante attended the virtual event. Also in attendance were senior officers and division chiefs of both agencies. With the new system, only vehicles whose importers paid the proper duties and taxes are allowed registration by the LTO.

In their joint statement, both heads of the agencies stressed that the new link-up minimizes human intervention in the transmittal of duties and payment records. The system will ensure that only legally imported vehicles will ply the roads of the country. It further strengthens the campaign against smuggled and surplus vehicles and streamlines the vehicle registration processes.

The BOC and LTO agreed to coordinate closely on the real-time transmission of the BOC-CP records via their respective interconnected IT networks. The IT networks are aligned with Republic Act No. 8792 (E-Commerce Law) and Republic Act No. 6539 (Anti-Carnapping Law). Through this link-up, the BOC regularly reports to the LTO all shipments of imported vehicles and components. The link-up includes the BOC’s Cargo Clearance Process Systems and Electronic Certificate of Payments, and the LTO's LTMS.

LTMS was set up by a leading German technology provider, Dermalog. The system allows the integration of all records and processes related to vehicle registration and issuances of drivers' licenses under one system owned and controlled by the LTO.

While affording LTO clients all the conveniences of online transactions, the LTMS also safeguards all user data in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act.

As the country transitions towards online processing of transactions, the Bureau of Customs and the Land Transportation Office are committed to being at the forefront of public service while promoting transparency and efficiency. (BOC)