Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, along with Deputy Commissioner Juvymax R. Uy of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Intelligence Group, Deputy Commissioner Teddy S. Raval of the BOC Enforcement Group, and key officials of the bureau, led the Philippine delegation in the opening ceremony of the World Customs Organization Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (WCO RILO A/P) that took place in Tokyo, Japan, from February 6 to 8, 2024.

RILO was formed with the goal of forming a Global Intelligence Network that aims to enhance operational capabilities by providing members with timely and accurate intelligence support through its extensive network and database, thereby strengthening the effectiveness of intelligence and enforcement operations.

The three-day assembly is comprised of various sessions that convene officials from various nations in the A/P. The opening ceremony also received remarks from principal officials of the WCO and the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Fumio Kishida.

A pivotal moment also occurred when BOC Commissioner Rubio not only successfully arranged a bilateral meeting with the Director General of the Japan Customs Tariff Bureau but was also invited to serve as a panelist for Session 5 on “Expectations for RILOs as WCO regional bodies.”

During the said session, the Commissioner shared how their cooperation with RILO  A/P has led them to achieve favorable outcomes in the BOC’s anti-smuggling drive and expressed commitment to supporting RILO A/P’s initiatives to reinforce information gathering and exchange within the A/P region.

The establishment of RILO A/P as a Fusion Center and central repository for customs-related activities, operations, and intelligence is envisioned to facilitate seamless collaboration among member states. The shared database is crafted to enhance the Fusion Center’s ability to process, analyze, and assess data, facilitating the generation of thorough evaluations.

Ultimately, RILO A/P is expected to increase collaboration through joint operations based on actionable intelligence information, along with the initiation of regular summits and meetings among its members.