THE Bureau of Customs registered its highest monthly collection in history with P70.727 billion actual collection against its P57.69 billion target for March, for a surplus collection of P13.037 billion.
Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Maronilla, BOC spokesperson, said the surplus collection is also 22.6 percent higher than their assigned target and also enabled them to overshoot their monthly assigned target for the first quarter of the year.
As of March 31, 2022, the bureau already collected P188.506 billion, equivalent to 27.8 percent of its 2022 collection target of P679.226 billion, the official added.
Citing the report from the BOC-Financial Service, 14 of the 17 collection districts hit their respective targets, namely, the ports of Subic, San Fernando, Manila, MICP, NAIA, Batangas, Iloilo, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Clark, Aparri, and Limay.
Maronilla attributed the impressive tax-take to the improving volume of importation in the country, improved valuation of imported goods from the reforms initiated by Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero and the collective effort of all collection districts.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence, Ranier Ramiro, announced the confiscation early today, April 5, 2022, of suspected smuggled vegetables, particularly carrots, after a coordinated anti-smuggling operation in Divisoria, Manila.
Ramiro said the operation was by virtue of a mission order signed by Guerrero and spearheaded by the Customs Intelligence Investigation Service at the Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) under Alvin Enciso.
Guerrero immediately approve the operation on being informed that smuggled vegetables are freely being sold in Divisoria.
Ramiro said the operation was conducted jointly with Economic Intelligence Sub Task Group on food security (EI-STG) composed of operatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and properly coordinated with the Manila Police District and barangay officials.
When the team arrived at the area, they immediately inspected stalls along the roads and sidewalks and found several boxes of imported carrots and broccoli openly displayed and for sale.
The vendors, however, denied ownership of the products that were all immediately confiscated by the authorities.
Value of the confiscated goods was placed at more than P300,000.