The Bureau of Customs (BOC) exceeded its revenue targets for a third consecutive month in March, bolstered by the surge in trade volume and the high-profile sale of seized luxury supercars.

Preliminary data showed that the BOC’s total collections for the first quarter reached ₱238.9 billion, representing an increase of ₱7.5 billion, or 3.3 percent, from the ₱231.4 billion collected during the same period last year.

This momentum was bolstered by a standout performance in March, when the country’s second-largest tax collection arm collected ₱84.4 billion, exceeding its monthly goal of ₱83.2 billion by 1.4 percent.

March collections alone expanded by over five percent from the ₱80.359 billion posted in March 2025.

Recall that the agency had previously exceeded its targets in January (₱80.7 billion) and February (₱73.8 billion), driven by factors such as aggressive enforcement and shifts in trade volume.

Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said the agency’s consistent performance “translates directly into better public services, funding for infrastructure, and support for social programs that benefit millions of Filipinos.”

Further, the BOC said it continues to prioritize digitalization, transparency, and ease of doing business to maximize the use of government resources.

For his part, Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go stressed the importance of efficient revenue collection and institutional integrity to continue accelerating the country’s output expansion.

Nepomuceno credited the quarter’s robust revenue collection performance to contributions from port collectors and frontline personnel, as well as to the implementation of the Integrity, Accountability, and Modernization (IAM) Program.

Having secured nearly 24 percent of its annual goal in the first quarter, the agency must maintain an average monthly collection of approximately ₱85 billion for the remainder of the year to hit its 2026 target.

Meanwhile, the BOC has converted high-profile contraband into a windfall for the national coffers after completing the sale of two seized Bugatti Chirons for a total of over ₱205 million.

According to the BOC, the sale marks the end of a two-year saga for the luxury cars—a 2017 blue Bugatti Chiron and a 2019 red Bugatti Chiron—which had remained in BOC custody since they were seized in February 2024 for lack of proper importation documents.

After five failed public auctions, the BOC shifted to a negotiated sale to finally unlock the value of these “idle assets.”

“These units had gone through several auctions already, so it is significant that they were finally sold through a negotiated sale,” Nepomuceno said.

Elite Garage Corporation, the sole participating offeror in the negotiated sale, paid ₱101.5 million for the 2017 unit and ₱103.5 million for the 2019 unit.

Nepomuceno added that the BOC “continues to strengthen its border protection efforts to ensure that all goods entering the country are properly accounted for.”

As per the BOC, the ₱205 million in revenue remains subject to Go’s approval. Once finalized, the proceeds will be remitted to the national government (NG) to fund national programs.