Ruiz rises, takes firm grip of Customs matters

BRUSHING aside the never-ending rumor that he is about to be “replaced,” Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz has shown he has the mettle to lead one of the country’s toughest agencies by surpassing its assigned collection target ahead of schedule, attending to the needs of Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) and causing the apprehension of sizable contrabands like illegal drugs and gold since his assumption last July 25, 2022.

Based on official data, the BOC, as of November 11, 2022, had already surpassed its assigned target of P721.52 billion for the year by actually collecting P745.50 billion for a positive deviation of 3.27 percent equivalent to P23.98 billion.

Combined with the aggregate target collection for November and December of P118.73 billion that the bureau is also expected to meet, the agency is poised to collect more than P850 billion in a single year, a collection legacy that would be hard to equal in the coming years.

Records also show that during Ruiz’s first 100 days in office, agency revenue was also boosted by additional collections from the Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) under Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Maronilla, generating a total of P416.231 million that comprises 24 percent of the P1.725 billion added revenue the PCAG collected since the start of the year.

Official records also show that to deter smuggling and teach smugglers a stiff lesson, the BOC Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS) filed charges against 33 erring importers and 11 customs brokers of which 22 cases were for agricultural smuggling.

Of the total, 9 cases were filed under Ruiz’s term.

BATAS is a unit under the Revenue Collection Monitoring Group (RCMG) headed by Deputy Commissioner Atty. Vener Baquiran.

No let-up in anti-smuggling drive

Since assuming the top customs post, Ruiz also caused the apprehension and seizure of smuggled goods involving 131 seizure cases— about 21 percent of the 599 total seizures– were accomplished under Ruiz with an estimated value of more than P4.6 billion.

Ruiz, in various media interviews, said he is fully committed to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s to protect the country’ agriculture sector stressing that since the start of his term, 23 seizures were initiated against smuggled agricultural products with an aggregate value of P346.43 million.

As for illegal drugs, the BOC, in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies including the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) where he used to be a regional director, already conducted 20 successful anti-illegal drugs operations. The aggregate value of seized illegal drugs as of November 1, 2022, was placed at P3.343 billion.

Not included in the report is the P149.6 million worth of shabu, chemicals, precursors, ingredients and equipment for the manufacture of shabu that authorities seized inside two houses at the posh Ayala Alabang subdivision in Muntilupa City last November 18, 2022 that also resulted to the arrest of two foreign nationals.

BOC Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence (DCI), retired Phil. Army M/Gen. Juvymax Uy, in a talk to Pinoy Exposé, added that the operation was a result of the “backtracking” they have been doing pertaining to the activities of illegal drugs syndicates.

A day earlier, November 17, 2022, the BOC also recorded another sensational seizure with the discovery of assorted gold jewelries weighing some 24 kilos and worth P80 million inside the lavatory of a Philippines Airlines (PAL) commercial jet that arrived from Hongkong.

Ruiz said that he has ordered a thorough investigation of the incident in order to unmask those behind the smuggling attempt that observers say are possibly going on for some time now.