BARRING unexpected developments as the country transitions to another administration this month, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is seen to again achieve its collection target for 2022 after already achieving 47.5 percent of its revenue goal, with still 7 months to go before the end of the year.
Atty Vincent Maronilla, BOC spokesperson, citing collection data from their Financial Service, said the agency again registered double-digit surplus collection for the month of May, for a positive variance of 20.8 percent.
For the month under review, the BOC actually collected P68.245 billion, which is P11.76 billion more than the collection target of P56.478 billion.
It would be the third consecutive month since March that the BOC registered double-digit surplus collection.
In March, the agency overshot its target by more than P13 billion and by over P10 billion in April.
With the development, Maronilla noted that, from year to date, they already collected P322.47 billion equivalent to 47.5 percent of their annual target of P679.23 billion.
Last year, the BOC also registered over P29 billion in total surplus collection, generating P645.8 billion compared to its target of P616.89 billion.
For the month of May, Maronilla added that 15 out of the bureau’s 17 collection districts managed to exceed their respective targets, namely:
Port of Subic, San Fernando, Port of Manila, MICP, Ports of Batangas, Legaspi, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Clark, Aparri, and, Limay.
He also attributed the bureau’s continued positive revenue performance to the success of the ‘10-Point Reform Programs’ initiated by Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero that resulted to improved valuation, intensified collection efforts, on measures preventing revenue leakage and the start of the country’s economic recovery from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guerrero, in a brief message, commended the efforts of all the bureau’s district collectors and all customs personnel “who, despite the risk to their health and safety, showed their unwavering commitment and dedication to (government) service.”
Shabu claimant nabbed; POM disposes overstaying cargoes
Meanwhile, the Port of NAIA under Coll. Carmelita ‘Mimel’ Talusan, announced another successful ‘controlled delivery operation’ of illegal drugs valued at P5.1 million that resulted to the arrest of two suspects while claiming the package at the Central Mail Exchange in Pasay City.
In a report to Guerrero, Talusan said that the shipment of some 750 grams of ‘shabu’ from Mexico arrived last May 30, 2022 described as “musical dulces” (toy drums).
On profiling, customs anti-drugs operatives immediately discovered the presence of the illegal drugs concealed inside the package.
Together with agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), they waited for the package to be claimed and arrested the two unnamed suspects when they showed up on June 2, 2022.
The suspects were merely described as a resident of Cainta, Rizal and his accomplice, a resident of San Juan City.
On the other hand, Port of Manila (POM) district collector, Michael Angelo Vargas, along with POM Deputy Collector for Operations, Atty. Liza Sebastian, received commendations from Asian Terminal, Inc., the port’s private arrastre operator, for their efforts that led to the successful auction, condemnation and disposal of 197 ‘overstaying containers’ at the ATI’s Laguna Inland Clearance Depot.
The depot is an extension of the POM and where overstaying containers dating back to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 were transferred to avoid port congestion at the POM’s main yard in Manila.