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 Republic of the Philippines  
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE  
Office of the Secretary  
Elliptical Rd., Diliman, Quezon City  
Tel. no: (02) 928 -8741 to 65  
Fax No.: (02) 920 -1849/ 920 -2151  
 
 
DA ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER  
NO:  ___11___   
Series of 2011  
 
 
 
SUBJECT:  RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE IMPORTATION OF FRESH 
CITRUS FRUITS: ORANGE (CITRUS SINENSIS); TANGERINE (CITRUS 
RETICULATA); LEMON (CITRUS LIMON); GRAPEFRUIT (CITRUS PARADISI)  
FROM ARGENTINA  INTO THE PHILIPPINES  
 
 
WHEREAS , the Plant Quarantine Service of the Bureau of Plant Industry by virtue of 
Presidential Decree No. 1433, otherwise known as the “Plant Quarantine Law of 1978”, as 
revised by the Administrative Code of 1987, has the primary function of preventing the entry o f 
foreign pests into the country and the further spread of these pests already introduced to places 
where they are not known to exist;  
 
WHEREAS ,  the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and the FAO International Plant Protection 
Convention (IPPC)  reaffirms the sovereign right of the  country to institute  appropriate 
measures  de emed necessary to protect human, plant, and animal life and health, provided that 
such measures do not unnecessarily restrict trade;  
 
WHEREAS , the Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) for fresh citrus fruits ( orange ( Citrus sinensis ); 
tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) from Argentina  
was conducted and completed in accordance with the IPPC International Standard for 
Phytosanitary Measures  ISPM #11, which takes into account evaluation of the biological or 
other scientifi c and economic evidence to determine whether a pest should be regulated and the 
strength of any phytosanitary measures to be taken against it;  
 
WHEREAS , the completed PRA served as the  as basis for the issuance of this AO;  
 
 
NOW, THEREFORE , I, PROCESO J. ALCALA , Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, by 
the powers vested in me by law, do hereby issue this Order providing guidelines  governing the 
importation of fresh citrus fruits ( orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon 
(Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) from Argentina into the Philippines.  
 
 
 
 
 
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 ARTICLE I  
SCOPE AND DEFINITION OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS  
 
Section 1.  SCOPE  - This Order shall govern  the importation of fresh citrus fruits 
(orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine (Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit 
(Citrus paradis i) from Argentina.  
 
Section 2. DEFINITION OF TERMS - For the purpose of this Order, the following 
terms, words and phrases herein used shall be construed to mean as follows:  
 
A.  DEFINITION:  
  
a. Additional Declaration - a statement that is required by the BPI Plant Quarantine 
Service (PQS) to be entered on a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) which provides 
specific additional information pertinent to the consignment.  
 
b. Consignment - a specific quantity of fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); 
tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) 
being moved from Argentina  to the Philippines covered by a single Phytosanitary 
Certificate  
 
c. Maximum  Residue Limit - allowable limit of pesticide level on fresh citrus fruits  
(orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and 
grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
 
d. Pest Risk Analysis - the process of evaluating biological or other scientific and 
economic evidence to determine whether an organism  is a pest, whether it  should be 
regulated, and the strength of any phytosanitary measures  to be taken against it 
[FAO, 1995 ; revised IPPC, 1997; ISPM No. 2, 2007]  
 
e. Phytosanitary Certificate – Certificate patterned after the model certificates of the 
IPPC [FAO, 1990; ISPM No. 5, 2006]  
 
f. Phytosanitary Certification – use of phytosanitary procedure leading to the issuance 
of a Phy tosanitary Certificate [FAO, 1990; ISPM No. 5, 2006]  
 
g. Phytosanitary Measure - any legislation, regulation or official procedure having the    
purpose to prevent the introduction and/or spread of quarantine pests, or to limit the 
economic impact of regulate d non -quarantine pests.  [FAO, 1990; ISPM No. 5, 2006]  
 
h. Plant Quarantine Clearance (Import Permit) - official document issued by the BPI 
authorizing importation of a commodity into the Philippines in accordance with 
specified phytosanitary import  requirements.  
 
 
B.  ACRONYMS:  
 
BPI  -  Bureau of Plant Industry (the NPPO of the Philippines)  
 
MRL   -  Maximum Residue Limit  
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 NPPO   -  National Plant Protection Organization  
 
PC  -  Phytosanitary Certificate  
 
PQC   -  Plant Quarantine Clearance  
PQO   -  Plant Quarantine Officer of the BPI  
 
PQS   -  Plant Quarantine Service  
 
PRA   -  Pest Risk Analysis  
SENASA  - Servicio nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria    
                                   (Argentina)  
 
 
 
ARTICLE II  
IMPORTER ACCREDITATION  
GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES  
 
 
The following guidelines and procedures shall be implemented in the accreditation of the 
Importers of Fresh Citrus fruits  (see Annex I).  
 
a. Application for Accreditation – The accomplished Application for Accreditation and 
Accredi tation Validation Form, together with pertinent documents enumerated hereunder 
shall be submitted to the BPI -PQS Central Office for the initial verification and evaluation 
of application. Pertinent documents should consist  the following:  
 
i. Company Profile (for first -time applicants only);  
 
ii. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Registration/Security and Exchange 
Commission (SEC) Registration/Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) 
Certificate of Registration;  
 
iii. Current Mayor’s Business Permit (as importer);  
 
iv. Bureau of Customs (BOC) Certificate of Accreditation (Legal Service 
Department);  
 
v. Valid  Contract/Certificate of Lease of Storage Facility (Cold 
Storage/Warehouse). Those who owned the facility, submit title of land 
ownership and notarized affidavit of fac ility ownership installed in the area;  
 
vi. Location map of the storage facility;  
 
vii. Notarized Special Power of Attorney (SPA) of the representative(s); and  
 
viii. Two (2) 2X2 ID pictures of the owner and representative(s).  
 
 
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 b. Importer’s Orientation - The company owner with his authorized representative(s) shall 
be oriented on the Plant Quarantine laws (PQ laws) and regulations, allowable 
plants/plant products that can be imported in the Philippines, procedures (process flow) 
of issuance of Plant Quarantine Clearance (PQC), possible sanctions of violations, and 
other concerns with regards to the importation of fresh citrus fruits (orange ( Citrus 
sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus  
paradis i).  
 
Orientation will be carried -out by the Chief of PQS or his assigned technical staff.  
 
c. Facility Inspection – The Plant Quarantine (PQ) Officer/Inspector will conduct ocular 
inspection of the applicant’s office and storage facility following th e guidelines for facility 
inspection procedures set by BPI -PQS (see Annex II).  
 
d. Approval and Issuance of Accreditation – After the applicant has complied with all the 
requirements for accreditation, the application will be recommended for approval.  
 
The BPI-PQS shall then issue a Certificate of Accre ditation duly signed by the BPI Director 
upon recommendation of the PQS Chief.  
 
 
 
ARTICLE III  
APPLICATION FOR AND ISSUANCE  
OF PLANT QUARANTINE CLEARANCE  
 
A.   Any BPI -accredited citrus fruits  importer who desires to import from Argentina  must 
secure a BPI Q Form No. 1 (Annex III).  
 
B.  Duly accomplished form together with the payment of non -refundable fee must be 
submitted to BPI -PQS with the following documents:  
 
1. Valid Pro -forma invoice  
2. Other  commodity specific requirements  
 
C.  The BPI -PQS shall determine its sufficiency in form and substance and inform the 
applicant accordingly. Only properly accomplished application form with complete 
documentary requirements shall be processed within five (5) working days.  
 
  Approval / Disapproval may take into consideration the following:  
 
1. Latest advisory of the relevant international bodies and/or Argentina  pertaining to the 
pest status of the source areas  
 
2. Violation of the applicant importer during the processing period  
 
3. Other information pertinent to SPS concerns  
 
 
 
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 Article IV  
DISTRIBUTION OF APPROVED PQC  
 
  Upon approval of the application, a PQC in quadruplicate  shall be issued as 
follows:  
 
The original  shall be given to the applican t for presentation to the Plant 
Quarantine Officer upon arrival of the consignment. The duplicate shall be sent in advance to 
the shipper in the country of origin by the applicant for their guidance relative to the terms and 
conditions imposed in the PQC. The triplicate shall be furnished to the Collector of Customs at 
the Port of Entry and the fourth copy shall be filed with the application.  
Article V  
VALIDITY AND NON -TRANSFERABILITY OF THE PQC  
 
A. Validity of the PQC:  
 
1. The validity shall be indicated in the PQC unless revoked for any of the grounds  set 
forth in Article IX.  Consignment of fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); 
tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) has 
to be loaded at the port in Argentina  after the issuance of the PQC.  
 
2. The date of loading at the port in Argentina  as specified in the Bill of Lading shall not 
be earlier than the date of issuance of the PQC, otherwise the consignment shall be 
subjected to a prescribed commodity treatment or returned to the country of origin or 
destroyed at the Port of Entry, and all fees, charges and other expenses relative to 
such quarantine action shall be borne by the importer.  
 
 
B. Non-Transferability of the PQC  
 
The PQC is non-transferable and shall only be use by the person/company 
whose name appears in the PQC.                                
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Article VI  
FEES AND CHARGES  
 
 
An accreditation fee shall be collected upon release of Certificate of Accreditation in the 
amount of Php 5,000.00. Yearly renewal shall also be subjected to processing fee of Php 
3,000.00.  
 
Other relevant fees shall be imposed as necessary pursuant to DA Administrative Order 
No. 01 Series of 2001, DA Administrative Order No. 12 and 26 Series of 2004.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Article VII  
REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS ON  
PRE-EXPORT QUARANTINE INSPECTION  
 
 
A.  Source Areas  
 
1. Citrus fruits (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) 
and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); 
lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) to be exported should be sourced 
only from production areas, processing/packing facilities  approved/accredited by 
SENASA.  
 
2. Exporters, production areas and processing facilities of fresh ci trus fruits  (orange ( Citrus 
sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus 
paradis i) intended for export to the Philippines shall be registered with SENASA . An 
official list shall be provided to BPI -PQS. Only those indicated in the list shall be allowed 
to export to the Philippines and approved by BPI -PQS.  
 
B.  Sorting, Cleaning and Packing   
 
1. Fresh citrus fruits (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus  reticulata ); lemon 
(Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) intended for export to the Philippines 
shall be sorted, cleaned and packed  in SENASA accredited facilities . These 
activities should be under the supervision of SENASA   Officer s and BPI – PQ 
representative s who will conduct pre-clearance inspection during the first three (3) 
months of  export period. All expenses related to the dispatch of BPI -PQ 
representative s shall be borne by the exporting country.  
   
2. All fresh citrus fruits (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon 
(Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) for export should be  packed in new 
carton boxes. Packed  citrus fru its in boxes should be kept in clean holding areas 
with temperature of 5 -60C. 
 
C.   Pre-export Quarantine Inspection  
 
1. Prior to sealing of the carton boxes, the SENASA Officer  and the Philippine PQ 
Officer s shall conduct random inspection of fresh citrus fruits (orange ( Citrus 
sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus 
paradis i) at 150- 300 sampling units  by volume during pre -sorting  and 2% of the 
finished boxes before palletizing at the accredit ed processing facilities.  
 
2. The SENASA  Officer shall  ensure that the consignment is free from quarantine  
pests before a PC can be issued for the shipment.   
 
D.  Sealing and Labeling of Carton Boxes  
 
If the consignment satisfactorily passes the inspection, each carton box shall  be 
sealed and labeled with the following information conspicuously displayed on th e two sides 
of the box:   
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 1. “FORTHE PHILIPPINES”;   
 
2. The accreditation code issued by SENASA ; and  
 
3. Source of fresh citru s fruits  (province, orchard or groves /production areas  and 
production units and lots) 
 
    The label should be  placed on conspicuous area of the box.  
 
E.  Loading of Consignment and Sealing of Reefer Vans   
 
1. Packed fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); 
lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) shall be immediately  loaded in 
clean (disinfested/disinfected) reefer vans and transported as soon as possible.  
 
2. The commodity shall be under cold storage condition throughout the transport. The 
container van shall maintain a temperature of 4OC during transit . A pre - calibrat ed 
thermograph shall be used to determine the temperature inside the container van. A 
SENASA Inspector shall be responsible for placing the thermograph .A bar code 
indicated in the reader will be noted by SENASA for future reference particularly 
upon arriv al of the consignment in the Philippines.  
 
3. The vans shall  be closed and sealed under supervision of a SENASA  Officer and 
BPI-PQ Officers .   
 
 
F.  Phytosanitary Certification  
 
An original Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) shall be issued by SENASA  for each 
consignment that satisfactorily passed the pre -export quarantine inspection. Integral to 
the PC is an additional declaration stating the following information:  
 
1. “This shipment is covered by Plant Quarantine Clearance (PQC) no. __”  
 
2. Container van and seal number  ___ 
 
3. Name and SENASA  Accreditation Number of the accredited processing and packing 
facility  
 
 
H.    Maximum Residue Level (MRL) Certificate   
 
Each shipment shall be accompanied by a certificate of analysis for pesticide 
residue issued by a relevant government laboratory in Argentina  or issued by a 
government accredited laboratory, attesting that the pesticides used during production 
conform to t he required Codex MRL for each pesticide  
 
 
 
 
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 Article VIII  
ENTRY AND POST -ENTRY INSPECTION  
 
 
A.   Forty -eight (48) hours before the arrival of a consignment at the port of entry, the  
importer or his authorized representative shall notify the concerned PQO by  completely 
filling out Application for Inspection (Annex IV).  
 
B.   Upon arrival, the consignment shall be subjected to the following inspection 
requirements:  
 
 
1. Documentation Check  
 
Original PQC, original PC from SENASA , airway bill/ bill of lading and invoice, 
and MRL certificate must be presented and surrendered to the PQO at the border.  
 
Any fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); 
lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) consignmen t with incomplete 
documentation shall be refused entry with options of returning the whole shipment to 
Argentina , re-export to other countries or destruction of the consignment at the 
importer’s expense.  
 
 
2. On- arrival Quarantine Inspection   
 
Upon arrival o f the shipment at the port of entry, t he PQO, together with the 
BOC examiner at the port shall conduct routine inspection and examination of the 
consignment.  
 
A sample size of 10% of the consignment shall be inspected by the PQO for 
quarantine pests. The inspection shall include the packaging material of the fresh 
citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus 
limon ) and gr apefruit ( Citrus paradis i). 
 
If the fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); 
lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i) arrive d in any  port of entry  in 
Metro Manila, the collection of such samples shall be the responsibility of the PQS 
station having  jurisdiction over the port of entry.  Fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus 
sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus 
paradis i) showing symptoms of pest infection/infestation or presence of pest shall be 
forwarded to the nearest BPI -Plant Quarantine Laboratory or BPI -recognized 
laboratory  for diagnosis and pest identification. Diagnosis and pest identification shall 
be completed within seven (7) working days.   Samples from the same lot shall be 
forwarded  to the National Pesticide Analytical Laboratory (NPAL) for the 
determination of pesticide residue level.  
 
 
 
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 C.  Inspection shall be conducted by the PQO in the presence of the importer or his 
authorized representative. Thereafter the PQO shall place a stamp on the BOC entry 
permit to indicate whether the consignment is cleared for release, for further inspection, 
on hold or for confiscation.  
 
Article IX  
PENALTIES  AND SANCTIONS  
 
Section 1.   Suspension/Revocation of PQC:  
 
A.   The PQC may be suspended or revoked at any time for any of the following grounds:  
 
1. Providing false information in the application for import inspection form or in any of 
the accompanying documents to the application  
2. Misdeclaration of consignment  
 
3. Violation of relevant SPS rules and regulations or any conditions imposed in the 
PQC  
 
4. Refusal to allow the inspection of the commodity, physical containment facility or  
intermediate destination of  the product  
 
5. Accreditation of the exporter has been suspended or revoked; or  
 
6. New technical information becomes available to the BPI indicating that the fresh 
citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus 
limon ) and  grapefruit ( Citrus paradis i), if allowed for its intended use will result to 
risks to human, animal or plant health or life and the environment.  
 
B.  Revocation or cancellation of the PQC shall be without prejudice to being further 
subjected to penalties.  
 
 
Section 2.   Confiscation and Disposal:  
 
A. If the border inspection shows that:  
 
 The fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon 
(Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi ) are found to be infested/infected with 
regulated pests;  
 
 The consignment is contaminated, misbranded, misdeclared, or in violation of the  
 terms and conditions embodied in the PQC; this Administrative Order; and other  
 sanitary and/or phytosanitary regulations;  
 
 The consignment arrived without the required documentation; or  
 
 Fake documents have been presented  
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  The PQS shall inform the BOC of the violations and the consignment shall be 
disposed of in any of the following manner:  
 
1. Confiscated and dest royed  
 
2. Returned to the country of origin  
 
3. Shipped to a third country, where possible  
 
In no case shall a confiscated consignment be aucti oned, redeemed, donated or sold  
by any government bureau or agency.  
 
 
B.  Notice of Confiscation shall be issued to the importer stating the reason/s for the 
confiscation. Three (3) copies of the said Notice  shall be issued as follows: one (1) copy 
shall be given to the BOC; one (1) copy to the importer and one (1) copy shall be  
retained by the PQS.  
 
  Further, the notice shall provide indicative date of condemnation and disposal of 
the product.  
 
C.  All expenses (including travel, per diem or subsistence, and overtime pay) of officers or 
employees of the Philippine government in  connection with the destruction or disposition 
of the seized fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); 
lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi ) and all expenses in connection with 
the storage, cargo or labor with respect to the fresh citrus fruits  (orange ( Citrus sinensis ); 
tangerine ( Citrus reticulata ); lemon ( Citrus limon ) and grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi ) refused 
admission shall be paid by the i mporter.  
 
D.  The importer concerned shall then be blacklisted from the list of accredited importers.  
 
E.  The impounding or seizure shall not be a bar to subsequent prosecution in the court of 
the person/s concerned in accordance with law.  
 
 
Section 3. Suspension of Fresh Citrus Fruits  Importation:  
 
A.  In case of non -compliance with the requirements and conditions of this AO, quarantine 
pest interceptions at the port of entry, and/or pest outbreak at the source, the BPI 
reserves the right to suspend the fresh citrus fruits  importation . 
 
B.  An audit of the export program shall be conducted. The program shall resume only when 
the BPI and SENASA  have mutually agreed on and instituted the necessary corrective 
actions to comply with the requirements and conditions of this AO.  
 
 
Section 4.  Other Penalties:  
 
The existing laws and rules and regulations of the BPI prescribing the violations and 
corres ponding penalties shall be applied and imposed.  
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