Dominguez impressed with BOC-COC

On Jan 10, 2021

With scenes of the various real-time monitoring cameras as their backdrop, Department of Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez (center), raises a point with Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, inside the BOC's modern 'Customs Operations Center' during the finance chief's visit at the agency last January 5, 2021. With them is DOF undersecretary, Antonette Tionko (photo: BOC-PIAD).

DEPARTMENT of Finance (DOF) secretary, Carlos Dominguez expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing reform programs at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) under Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, during a visit at the agency last January 5, 2021.

Accompanied by undersecretary Antonette Tionko, the finance chief was given a tour by Guerrero of the bureau’s newly-opened, ‘Customs Operations Center’ (COC).

The COC houses the bureau’s different intelligence, enforcement, risk management and scanning systems under one roof.

It functions as command and control, and enhances the intelligence and enforcement operations of the BOC’s 17 collection districts nationwide.

The Center, inaugurated last December 16, 2020, is purposely designed to aid the bureau’s intelligence and enforcement groups (IG/EG) and their operational arms, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) respectively, in the efficient discharge of their functions.

The “idea” of creating a centralized operation center for the BOC was first brought up by former AFP chief and former customs deputy commissioner for intelligence, Jessie Dellosa, during the Aquino administration.

Before the end of his visit, Dominguez also visited the new office building of the Port of Manila (POM) made from prefabricated materials.

The original POM building was gutted by a mysterious fire on February 22, 2019. The cause of the fire is yet to be disclosed until now.