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The Bureau of Customs exceeded its 2023 collection target by 1.09%
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The agency took in P883.624 billion, surpassing its goal of P874.166 billion
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The sale of forfeited goods conducted through public auctions from January to December 31, 2023 generated P164.503 million in revenues
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As of December 31, 2023, a total of 90 criminal cases have been filed by BOC before the Department of Justice
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60 of the cases are related to agricultural smuggling
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Accreditation of 118 importers and 46 customs brokers have been revoked in violation of provisions under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act
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BOC has issued a total of 19 show-cause orders against errant employees, with 94 personnel either under investigation or have been investigated
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) exceeded its 2023 collection target by 1.09%, taking in P883.624 billion against the goal of P874.166 billion.
The latest preliminary revenue collection was 2.46% higher than the P862.419 billion recorded in 2022, BOC parent agency Department of Finance (DOF) said in a statement.
BOC’s Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) collected P1.959 billion from January to December 31, 2023, up 6.43% year-on-year. Of the total, P1.793 billion or 91.56% were collected from Prior Disclosure Program (PDP) applications, and the rest from other audit findings.
The PDP collection for 2023 is 12.58% higher compared to the same period last year.
The sale of forfeited goods conducted through public auctions from January to December 31, 2023 generated P164.503 million in revenues.
As of December 31, 2023, a total of 90 criminal cases have been filed by BOC before the Department of Justice (DOJ), 60 of which are related to agricultural smuggling.
Among these, 56 pertain to large-scale smuggling, which violates the Republic Act No. 10845 or the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.
Other cases filed with the DOJ are on the unlawful importation of fuel (13 cases), food items (four cases), illegal drugs (four cases), general merchandise (four cases), cigarettes (one case), used clothing (one case), and others (three cases).
Four conviction cases on the unlawful importation of general merchandise, cigarettes, and agricultural products were recorded for the whole of last year.
A total of P43.295 billion worth of smuggled commodities were confiscated in 2023.
Last year, BOC also revoked the accreditation of 118 importers and 46 customs brokers found to be in violation of the provisions under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
BOC likewise filed criminal charges against erring employees.
The agency issued a total of 19 show-cause orders against errant employees from January to December 31, 2023. Ninety-four personnel are either under investigation or have been investigated, of whom 16 are facing administrative charges.
A total of 14 employees have been suspended, while one has been disciplined.
As part of its commitment to enhance trade facilitation, BOC has so far digitalized 161 out of 166 customs processes reflecting a 96.99% digitalization rate. – Roumina Pablo
