The issuance of a certification for duty-exempt importation (DEI) to non-government organizations (NGOs) is part of the agency’s regulatory services to individuals and groups engaged in social welfare service delivery, a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) official said on Saturday.

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

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

Must be endorsed to DoF

“We issue certifications for the duty-exempt importation of donations. So, for example, if someone is going to donate from abroad to an NGO located in the Philippines, the NGO can get a certificate from us and then endorse it to the Department of Finance (DoF). This way, when the donation arrives at customs, there will be no taxes to pay,” Manahan said in a radio interview.

In line with Republic Act 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016, licensed and/or accredited SWDAs that want foreign donations consigned to them to be exempted from customs duties must secure a DEI from the DSWD.

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