Newly inaugurated BOC Customs Operations Center to oversee all intel, enforcement ops

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Newly-inaugurated Customs Operations Center. Photo from BOC.
  • The Bureau of Customs (BOC) inaugurated the Customs Operations Center (COC), its central facility for the command and control of the intelligence and enforcement operations of the agency’s 17 collection districts nationwide
  • The facility will house BOC’s intelligence, enforcement, risk management, and scanning systems
  • Several systems can also be managed inside the facility, such as the intelligence database, Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo System, Vessel Monitoring System, and Universal Risk Management System
  • The facility will be manned 24/7 by personnel from the Enforcement Security and Services and the Philippine Coast Guard

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has formally inaugurated the Customs Operations Center (COC), its central facility for the command and control of the intelligence and enforcement operations of its 17 collection districts nationwide.

Inaugurated on December 16, COC will house the different intelligence, enforcement, risk management, and scanning systems of BOC.

In addition, to be managed in the facility are several BOC systems such as the intelligence database, Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo (E-TRACC) System, and Vessel Monitoring System.

The COC will also have capabilities to utilize the Universal Risk Management System (URMS) and provide remote access to the scanning or x-ray systems of BOC through the X-ray Inspection Project.

The COC will likewise serve as a fusion center to integrate and analyze intelligence, enforcement, and operational information gathered from various sources.

The information technology-integrated facility will be manned 24/7 by personnel of the Enforcement Security and Services and the Philippine Coast Guard.

In a statement, finance assistant secretary Dakila Elteen M. Napao said the launch of the COC and integration of all the existing command systems for customs operations is “a landmark achievement of the BOC led by our Commissioner to efficiently monitor, protect, as well as control the borders.”

All of these “aimed to enhance the Bureau’s revenue collection,” Napao added.

For his part, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said the facility is an important tool in the customs bureau’s continuous work to deliver its mandate to secure the borders, facilitate trade and collect lawful revenues.

“The Customs Operations Center is a significant part of the Bureau’s thrust on reform and transformation,” Guerrero said.