Manila, Philippines – Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio affirmed the bureau’s commitment of reaching its P959 billion collection target for the calendar year 2024 and intensifying efforts against smuggling during Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto’s visit in BOC on January 24, 2024.
Commissioner Rubio outlined the bureau’s strategy to increase collections by 15 to 20% in 2024 through vigilant monitoring and continuous improvement of modernization projects. Key among these initiatives is the Enhanced Value Reference Information System (e-VRIS), which is a critical risk assessment tool for safeguarding government revenues and facilitating trade. The BOC is also actively working on implementing an ICT-enabled clearance system for express shipments and in the process of drafting Customs Administrative Orders (CAO) and Customs Memorandum Orders (CMO) for e-Commerce to prevent revenue leakages.
Addressing the issue of smuggling, Commissioner Rubio reported that the BOC will strengthen border control by engaging and collaborating with other law enforcement agencies for seamless coordination and information sharing against the entry of illicit goods, contraband, drugs, and high-value commodities that pose significant threat against the agency’s revenue collection performance. Additionally, the BOC will fully implement the National Customs Intelligence System (NCIS) to enhance actionable intelligence, support case build-up, and conduct risk profiling and analysis to curb smuggling effectively.
In facilitating trade, the bureau plans to continue streamlining and digitizing customs processes. The Commissioner also emphasized the importance of the Customs Customer Care Portal in reducing face-to-face transactions and promoting transparency.
Highlighting the successful outcomes of 2023, Commissioner Rubio reported that the BOC surpassed its revenue collection target with actual aggregate cash collection of PhP883 billion, resulting in a surplus of PhP9.49 billion. In addition, the bureau gained global recognition for enhancing trade facilitation, while successfully intensifying its anti-smuggling campaign with a record breaking seizure of P43.295 billion worth of illegally imported and illicit goods. Likewise, the BOC achieved an impressive 96.99% digitalization rate of its customs processes.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto commended the BOC for its remarkable achievements in 2023, emphasizing the commitment of DOF to closely collaborate with BOC and other agencies to contribute to overall government efficiency.#
