President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he is considering the conduct of pre-shipment inspections for agricultural goods to stop smuggling and also ensure the safety of public consumption.

The idea was suggested to by Société Générale de Surveillance SA (SGS) Vice President George Bottomley and Managing Director Cresenciano Maramot to the President during their meeting in Malacañang on Thursday.

“Ibigsabihin, bago pa isakay ‘yung produkto sa barko doon sa pinanggagalingan, inspeksyunin na nila para sasabihin nila, ‘totoo ito, tama ang timbang, tama ang quality, tama ang nasa record na pinanggalingan’ — all of these items. Para hindi na natin kailangan gawin dito sa Pilipinas,” Marcos explained in a video statement shared by the Presidential Communicatiosn Office (PCO).

He said the pre-shipment inspection will also cover the invoices, so that shipments are paid already before the ships or airplanes arrive.

According to PCO, the SGS will create a “digital invoice in a standardized format prescribed by the authorities on an online government platform for registered or authenticated agricultural exporter/seller/supplier.”

The Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Internal Revenues (BIR), and Bureau of Customs (BOC) will have access to the said invoices in real time, the communications agency said.

The PCO said that the President has already instructed the Department of Finance (DOF) and the DA to assess the proposal and to create the arrangement of the implementation.

Established in 1878, SGS is a testing, inspection, and certification company that ensures the products' quality and safety based on health, safety and regulatory standards.

Written by Stephanie Anne Santos, DZRH News Online Intern