- Bienvenido Y. Rubio has been appointed new commissioner of the Bureau of Customs
- He will replace Yogi Filemon Rubio, who has been acting commissioner since the start of the Marcos administration
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Bienvenido Y. Rubio as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), according to the Presidential Communications Office on February 10.
No further details on his appointment has been provided.
Rubio replaces Yogi Filemon Ruiz, who has held the position of commissioner in an acting capacity since the start of the Marcos administration last year.
Rubio is director of BOC’s Port Operations Service under the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group. He has also been with the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Group.
In a statement, Rubio said surpassing collection targets, furthering trade facilitation, mitigating smuggling and boosting staff morale are his priorities.
He added: “I believe in promoting good governance by strengthening the Bureau of Customs first, through active collaboration with its partner-agencies and stakeholders. Essentially, stakeholders will always be considered and included in the process of improving customs services and procedures.”
He said he is “confident that 90 percent of the problems encountered by the customs administration can be solved just by looking at things in an inward perspective.”
Rubio, whose background is in intelligence and investigative work, noted he will use such background in “buttressing the resolve of the bureau to protect the country’s borders from all forms of smuggling,” especially those involving agricultural products and illegal drugs.
According to a BOC statement, Rubio cut his teeth in the bureau in 2001 as special agent 1 in 2001. He then became a special investigator, then intelligence officer I and was later named officer-in-charge of the intelligence division for the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Manila. He also served as intelligence officer III and IV before being promoted to director III in 2021.
The new customs chief said he is also planning to review customs procedures and digitalize all processes; enhance competencies and integrity of personnel to ensure the delivery of quality public service; adopt a data-driven culture to ensure data are used in the decision-making for every level of the organization; and link agency actions to feedbacks and evaluation from partners and stakeholders.
“Over and above, I aspire to foster a healthier trade environment which will contribute to the expansion and economic recovery of the country by equipping the Bureau of Customs with better and modernized mechanisms for trade facilitation and a more improved collection efficiency through the introduction of these sustainable reforms,” Rubio said.
A native of Batac, Ilocos Norte, Rubio received his political science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and his juris doctor degree from the San Beda College of Law and San Sebastian College of Law.
(Updated 11 February 2020 at 12:52pm to include Rubio’s statement.)
