(Courtesy of Customs PH Facebook)
MANILA – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday asked the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to speed up its modernization program and ordered the submission of its revenue data to ascertain the source of its achieved collection target.
The BOC is currently working on a full digitalization program and modernization of facilities to address smuggling, rid the agency of corrupt employees and further improve revenue collection.
The components of the Philippine Customs Modernization Program, currently at 91 percent completion, include streamlining, automation and development of a world-class customs processing system.
“Alam natin na ang katiwalian sa anumang ahensya ng gobyerno ay nagdudulot ng malaking dagok sa tiwala ng taong bayan at pinsala sa kaban ng bayan. Dapat maimbestigahan nang husto ang mga tiwaling kawani sa mga ahensiya’t kagawaran (We all know that corruption in any government agency is a big blow to the country’s coffers. We must investigate all corrupt employees and officials in all government agencies),” Gatchalian said in a news release.
The BOC revenue collection for 2022 has reached PHP817 billion, which is 20 percent higher than its full target of PHP675 billion.
Gatchalian said it might be mainly due to higher fuel prices brought by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the prevailing weakness of the peso against the United States dollar.
“We want to find out whether higher collection this year is due to efficiency as a result of the modernization program or due to higher import prices and exchange rate factor or both. Our fervent hope is that the modernization program will sustain higher revenue collection for the BOC moving forward,” Gatchalian said.
On Dec. 12, BOC Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz led Gatchalian, Senator JV Ejercito and members of the Senate Tax Study and Research Office in an ocular inspection and walk-through of the modernization program.
The guests toured the Customs Customer Care Center, X-ray Inspection Program, and the Customs Operations Center at the BOC main office in Port Area, Manila.
Ejercito called for the full implementation of Republic Act 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and batted for the non-bailable offense of economic sabotage against smugglers. (PNA)
