New Customs chief’s vow

NAPOLEON MORALES has promised to strictly implement regulations and procedures and work hard to meet the 2006 collection target of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) after he formally assumed office as acting commissioner from caretaker Alexander Arevalo on Monday. In a speech during the turnover ceremony held at the Port of Manila Social Hall, Morales declared to implement and modify several measures in the Bureau to make it more efficient in the collection of taxes as well as in curbing smuggling. "There is no need for us to deliberate and create new laws and processes. The period for policy making has long been gone. We are now in the stage of doing things, of acting together and performing it right. The task at hand is to implement our current regulations and procedures properly and more effectively,"
he said. For 2006, the finance department has given the BOC a P191-billion collection target, up 21% compared with the P151-billion target last year. Morales started
work at the BOC 38 years ago. He rose from the ranks, from messenger to Customs examiner, appraiser, then to chief of the assessment division until he was promoted
to district collector three years ago. He gained a record for posting a collective surplus of P7 billion in 1,000 days for two different ports which were previously incurring collection shortfalls. Morales bested six other candidates for the post short listed by Finance secretary Margarito Teves late last year: former Valenzuela City congressman Magtanggol Gunigundo; former customs legal officer Gregorio Chaves; Malaca–ang Secretary for External Affairs Edgardo Pamintuan; former Reform the Armed Forces Movement leader Red Kapunan; former police officer Eduardo Orcullo; and Federation of Philippine Industries president Jesus Carranza. The appointment of Morales at the BOC was almost stalled due to a pending graft case before the Ombudsman. Arevalo returns to his previous post as deputy customs commissioner.