The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said a new digital platform from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will help speed up and secure the importation and registration of motor vehicles.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the Electronic Certificate Payment System (ECPS) streamlines vehicle import procedures, improving transparency and efficiency. The initiative supports the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to digitize government processes through a whole-of-government approach.
Lopez said the program, developed by the Bureau of Customs in partnership with the Land Transportation Office, will make vehicle processing faster while strengthening efforts against smuggling.
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the ECPS ensures that motor vehicle import transactions are legitimate and properly processed. He added that the system will make it harder for smugglers to exploit loopholes in previous procedures.
For the LTO, assistant secretary Markus Lacanilao said the digital platform enables faster information sharing between the two agencies. This allows officials to verify whether vehicles presented for registration have legitimate importation records.
Industry groups such as the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines and the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors described the system as a “game changer” that simplifies business processes in the automotive sector.
Under the ECPS, the submission, validation, processing, and transmission of vehicle import documents are integrated into a secure automated workflow. The system also ensures that only validated and tax-compliant vehicle data are forwarded to the LTO for registration.
