The Bureau of Customs (BOC) strengthens its anti-corruption and integrity campaign under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero as 67 additional Show Cause Orders were issued from January to June 2022. This led to the dismissal, suspension, relief, and reshuffling of errant Customs employees.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) conducted 333 personnel investigations under the same timeline which resulted in seven (7) filed administrative cases before the BOC-Legal Service and another seven (7) cases transmitted to the National Bureau of Investigation.
With the rigorous management prerogatives of Commissioner Guerrero to counter corruption, three (3) personnel were already dismissed, seven (7) were suspended, one (1) reprimanded, 27 relieved, and 249 employees were reshuffled to various offices and ports within the first half of the year due to irregular activities.
In addition, in its effort to reform the organization being built on efficiency and transparency, the BOC assured the completion of its Performance Governance System (PGS) journey in only two and a half (2 ½) years, completing the fourth and final stage last April 2022. In all four (4) stages of the PGS Pathway, the Bureau consistently bagged the highest award, the Gold Governance Trailblazer award. With this, the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) conferred the agency with the PGS Institutionalized status and recognizes the BOC as an Island of Good Governance.
Moreover, aligned with the BOC’s 10-Point Priority Program for 2022, one of which is pursuing Integrity Development and Quality Management for all offices and ports, 13 BOC ports and subports have already been certified with ISO 9001:2015, an internationally accepted standard for quality management. These include the ports of Manila, Clark, Batangas, Davao, Legaspi, Tacloban, Cebu, NAIA and their respective Customer Care Centers (CCC). The subports of Dumaguete, Iligan, Mactan, CCC-Subic, and CCC-Limay are also already ISO certified, while other Customs offices are in various stages of the ISO compliance process.
Customer Care Centers are also established in all 17 ports, including six (6) subports, under the Bureau, providing modern service centers for a centralized document receiving and releasing, information area for inquiry and other general concerns, payment center, and other Customs Services. Along with this, 91.76% of Customs processes are already digitized aligned with the no contact policy of the BOC, Ease of Doing Business Act, and the Anti-Red Tape Act.
The BOC was also recently recognized by the Civil Service Commission-Contact Center ng Bayan as one of the Top 10 government agencies with the highest complaints resolution rate from Fiscal Year 2014 to 2021. This is a manifestation of the commitment of the Philippine Customs administration to provide the highest quality of government service to its stakeholders and the general public.
The Bureau of Customs, under the guidance of Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, continues to sustain its anti-corruption efforts through open governance, boosting integrity among its employees, and implementing a quality management system at par with global standards.
