Outgoing Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon: Pleased. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he Bureau of Customs collected more than P28 billion in revenues in November, bringing to more than P280 billion the agency鈥檚 total collections in the past 11 months, according to outgoing Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.
In a text message to the Inquirer, Biazon on Tuesday said he was 鈥減leased鈥� about the development as he also expressed confidence that 鈥渨ith a little more push, the bureau will reach its internal motivational mark of P300 billion this year.鈥�
Collecting P300 billion is big deal for Biazon who said 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to be a first in the history of the Bureau of Customs.鈥�
The bureau鈥檚 January to November collections, however, are still P40 billion short of its 2013 revenue target of P340 billion.
Last week, Biazon said the 鈥渏itters caused by swift changes at the agency鈥� had affected collections, resulting in the BOC鈥檚 failure to meet its P30.5-billion collection target for October.
Revenue collections for October totaled P28.3 billion, about P2 billion off the BOC target for the month. Still, it was P1.4 billion more than the P26.9 billion it collected in the same period in 2012.
Biazon said, however, that 鈥渄espite the personnel changes that have occurred of late, we managed to keep our collections on the positive level.鈥�
The Bureau of Customs had undergone a drastic revamp, with Malaca帽ang appointing five new deputy commissioners in September鈥擜gaton Uvero, Primo Aguas, Ma. Edita Tan, Myrna Chua and former Armed Forces chief Jessie Dellosa.
Under the Department of Finance-initiated Customs Reform Project, 37 customs officials, including 17 district collectors, were moved from their posts to the newly created Customs Policy Research Office at the DOF head office.
Biazon has admitted the agency would most likely miss its annual collection target, citing the slowdown of imports, globalization and trade liberalization, as well as the 鈥渃ontinuing corruption鈥� in the bureau, among other factors.
Meanwhile, the agency鈥檚 five biggest collection districts鈥擬anila International Container Port, the ports of Manila, Batangas and Limay, Bataan, and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia)鈥攁re reported to have collected P218.12 billion during the first 10 months of the year.
A report from the Statistical Analysis Division, however, said the combined collections were still nearly P23 billion short of the agency鈥檚 P241.1-billion goal for the January-October period.