The Bureau of Customs (BOC) held the traditional New Year’s Call on January 11 at the Office of the Commissioner (OCOM) Grounds, South Harbor, in Port Area, Manila.
The event is a tradition for top officials to pay courtesy to the Commissioner, celebrate the Bureau’s accomplishments for the year that passed, and reaffirm their commitments to the core mandates of enhancing trade facilitation, strengthening border protection, and boosting revenue collection for the country.
Among the significant achievements for better trade facilitation included the implementation of the PAS6 System, which ensures accurate and immediate exchange of transaction information on the assessment details of payable duties and taxes; the inauguration of the new Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Office; and the signing of the first mutual recognition on AEO with China Customs.
The AEO Program is a partnership program pursued globally by most Customs administrations to secure and facilitate trade by providing incentives to traders with improved supply chain security.
The BOC also consistently surpassed its revenue collection targets with a monthly average of 27.5 percent collection efficiency, garnering a total collection of P862 billion pesos in 2022 that would help fund government programs or projects.
In the same year, the intensified border control and security measures resulted in 709 seizures of various illicit goods amounting to over P24.275 billion.
“All the things we have achieved last year were basically due to one thing: “the people of this organization,” said Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz.
“With the trust and confidence vested in me by His Excellency, our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and in support of his plans for economic and social transformation under the Philippine Economic Development Plan 2023-2028, I reaffirm my commitment to stand my ground for good governance, and I will continue to strive for excellence in the performance of our mandates,” he said.
The BOC continues its drive toward a credible and modernized Customs administration at par with global standards.#
