The Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported Friday, June 2, that it has collected P77.793 billion in revenue in May which surpassed its collection target for the said month.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio (File photo)
The collection was P5.443 billion or 7.52 percent bigger than the collection target of P72.350 billion for the month of May, according to BOC.
Meanwhile, the BOC has collected P359.175 billion from Jan. 1 to May 31 which also exceeded their target collection of P345.943 billion by P13.232 billion or 3.82 percent. The bureau said it reflected a “significant growth” of P38.661 billion or 12.06 percent compared to the previous year.
“Under the leadership of Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, BOC continues to exceed expectations through effective strategies in pursuit of its revenue collection, border protection and trade facilitation mandates,” the Customs bureau said in a statement.
The BOC said that the improved collection performance could be attributed to its “strategic initiatives” which were aligned with Rubio's five-point priority program.
These include the bureau’s anti-smuggling measures which resulted in the seizure of contrabands valued at over P19 billion; and digitalization efforts that “streamlined customs procedures, enhanced trade operations, and improved processing times and accuracy in import and export transactions.”
The BOC also mentioned its “pro-active collaboration” with other government agencies such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for simplified customs procedures and secured trade.
It also cited its “active engagement” with stakeholders which “enhanced BOC's services through open communication;” and its training programs and incentives for its personnel.