BOC exceeds May collection target by 7.5%

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BOC exceeds May collection target by 7.5%
  • The Bureau of Customs (BOC) collected P77.793 billion in May 2023, exceeding its target of P72.350 billion by 7.52%
  • The May 2023 collection was also 17.36% higher year-on-year
  • Total revenue collection from January 1 to May 31, 2023 reached P359.175 billion, exceeding the target of P345.943 billion by 3.82% and was a 12.06% increase year-on-year
  • BOC attributes its improved collection performance to strategic initiatives aligned with Customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio’s five-point priority program

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) exceeded its May collection target of P72.350 billion by 7.52%, taking in P77.793 billion.

The latest figure is also 17.36% higher than the collection in the same month last year, BOC said in a statement.

Based on a preliminary report, BOC’s total revenue collection from January 1 to May 31, 2023 reached P359.175 billion, surpassing the goal of P345.943 billion by 3.82% and the year-on-year collection by 12.06%.

BOC attributed its improved collection performance to strategic initiatives aligned with Customs commissioner Bienvenido Rubio’s five-point priority program.

The bureau said intensified anti-smuggling measures have curtailed illicit activities and resulted in the seizure of contrabands valued at over P19 billion.

Notably, on February 17, BOC discovered approximately P150 million worth of agricultural products in 24 warehouses in Metro Manila. On March 20, BOC confiscated 58.93 kilograms of shabu valued at P400 million at the Pair Cargo Warehouse in Pasay City.

Additionally, on May 4, BOC uncovered around 1,350 kilolitres of smuggled diesel fuel worth P54 million from 12 compartments of the vessel MV Veronica-1 at the subport of Sual in Pangasinan.

BOC said its digitalization efforts, rated at 96.39%, have streamlined customs procedures, enhanced trade operations, and improved processing times and accuracy in import and export transactions. It noted the latest World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI), wherein the Philippines’ ranked improved 17 notches to 43rd among 139 countries, highlighting advancements in trade facilitation. In the latest LPI, the Philippines recorded improvement in ranks and scores in the criteria of customs border clearance, timeliness, tracking and tracing, infrastructure quality, and logistics competence, but dropped in international shipments.

BOC also attributed its positive collection performance to “pro-active collaboration with other government agencies”, including the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Justice, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, saying this “has simplified customs procedures and facilitated secured trade.”

BOC noted active engagement with stakeholders has enhanced its services through open communication.

Moreover, BOC said training programs and incentives have “empowered BOC personnel, increasing productivity and contributing to the agency’s outstanding performance.”

For 2023, BOC has been tasked to collect P901.3 billion, up from the P721 billion target last year and the P862.929 billion actual collection, the highest annual collection to date.

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