The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) certifies eligibility for for duty exempt importation (DEI) to non-government organizations (NGOs) as part of the agency’s regulatory services to individuals and groups engaged in social welfare service delivery across the country, a DSWD official said on Friday (March 28).

This process, according to Director Megan Therese Manahan of the DSWD’s Standards Bureau (SB), is among the services that was digitalized with the recent launch of the Harmonized Electronic License and Permit Systems (HELPS).

The HELPS serves as a virtual one-stop-shop to all of the agency’s regulatory services for social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs), including the processing and issuance of certification for registration, license to operate and accreditation (CRLA), public solicitation permit, and DEI.

“We issue certification [as to eligibility] for duty exempt importation of donations. So, kunwari po may magdo-donate from abroad to an NGO located in the Philippines, ‘yong NGO na ‘yun pwede po kumuha ng certificate sa amin tapos i-endorse ‘yun sa Department of Finance (DOF) para pag-pasok dito sa customs wala na pong babayaran na mga taxes,” Director Manahan said in an interview with radio station DZME.

In line with Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2016, licensed and/or accredited SWDAs that want foreign donations consigned to them be exempted from customs dutied must secure a DEI from the DSWD.

Previously in the manual process, applicants for DEI would have to physically submit 20 documents to DSWD offices and wait up to 14 days before they can get the certification.

“Dati, pumupunta pa sa region [yung mga SWDAs natin], then after sa region i-endorse pa sa central office, lahat kailangan i-print, makakapal ‘yong mga documents. So, dito sa new administration, pagpasok po ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian there was a marching order na we have to steamline, we have to digitalize,” Director Manahan told DZME.

Now, the clients can easily lodge their application online via the HELPS and submit only one important document and receive it within the day, if the NGOs operate in a state-of-calamity; and 7 days for applications tagged as regular requests.

The SB director said in a news forum that the agency anticipates more NGOs will avail of their right for duty-exempted foreign donations with the streamlined process.

“Before, isa po itong DEI sa mga least-sought regulatory services natin, we hope na mas dadami pa po ang mag-aavail now that we have reduced the steps, requirements and processing time,” Director Manahan pointed out.