BOC just P90 billion short of 2021 collection target

THE Bureau of Customs is definitely on track to hit—or surpass—its 2021 collection target after surpassing its year-to-date collection for October by 2.4 percent.

In a report to Congress last November 23, 2021, Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero said that in the first 10 months of the year, his agency had already chalked up P525.37 billion, more than P12 billion higher than the assigned goal of P513.19 billion.

Guerrero also pointed out that the figure is more than 17 percent higher for the same period last year when the BOC collected P448.95 billion.

Guerrero said the latest tally gives him confidence the agency will hit the P616.7-billion full-year collection goal set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee.

With only two collection months to go, the BOC would only need to collect over P90 billion in revenues to reached its assigned revenue goal.

In 2020, revenue collection only hit P537 billion due to the adverse economic impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To address smuggling… we have established our Customs Operations Center to profile shipments and take out high-risk shipments and possibly (those) containing contraband.

“We also intensified our scanning capabilities… (by) acquiring additional X-ray (machines),” the customs chief told lawmakers.

Guerrero also reported that the BOC had already surpassed, twice over, the value of confiscated smuggled goods, from P10.6 billion in 2020 to more than P23 billion as of end October. The figure is also higher than the P20.6 billion worth of smuggled goods confiscated in 2019, the first year of Guerrero’s term as customs commissioner.

The customs chief also cited the success of the government’s ‘Fuel Marking Program’ (FMP) and additional collections brought in by the post-entry audit of shipments being administered respectively by Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement Atty. Teddy Raval and Atty. Vincent Maronilla, who is also the bureau’s spokesperson.

Guerrero said the FMP added P133.58 billion in excise taxes on imported oil products while post-entry audits generated an additional P1.41 billion.

P102 million shabu confiscated

Meanwhile an estimated 15 kilos of shabu worth P102 million were confiscated by joint operatives from the BOC and other law enforcement agencies in Caloocan City last Monday, November 29, 2021.

Manila International Container Port (MICP) intelligence chief, Alvin Enciso, in an intial report to Customs intelligence (CIIS) chief, Jeofrey Tacio, Guerrero and Intelligence Group (IG) deputy commissioner, Rainiel Ramiro, said they immediately coordinated with the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) for the conduct of the operation in Bgy. 161, Zone 14, District 1 Caloocan City.

PDEG director, P/BGen. Remus Medina, in a separate report to PNP Chief, Dionardo Carlos, said they also arrested a suspect, Randy Rafael, a resident of Pasay City.

From the photographs provided by the PNP, Pinoy Exposé noted that the illegal drugs are again wrapped in yellow Chinese tea packs, the trademark of the ‘Sam Gor Drug Syndicate,’ the world’s biggest drug syndicate.