Boon or bane to the sports shooting and firearms industry in the country?
The Bureau of Customs on Thursday announced the creation of the Customs Firearms and Explosives Unit that will oversee the importation and export of firearms to and from the country.
The ad-interim unit was created through Customs Memorandum Order 27-2022.
The CFEU will monitor the entry and exit of firearms and their major and minor components, as well as controlled chemicals and substances used in the manufacture of ammunition.
Aside from guns, the units will also oversee the importation and exportation of firecrackers and explosives under Presidential Decree 1866.
The CFEU also covers the implementation of policies and procedures relative to Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunitions.
In a statement, the BoC said that only selected personnel of its Enforcement and Security Service assigned at the 17 ports of entry in the country will be assigned as contact persons of the CFEU.
The CFEU will ensure an effective working relationship with other government law enforcement agencies for efficient and effective firearms and explosives control, the BoC said.
BoC Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said that the CFEU will be under the direct supervision of the ESS-Enforcement Group.
Ruiz said the creation of the CFEU is part of the seven priority programs of the BoC in accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stop smuggling in the country.