The Bureau of Customs missed its P661-billion collection target for the year, posting a revenue shortfall of P16.5 billion as of mid-December.
For the first 10 months of the year, the bureau failed to collect its revenue targets. It only managed to surpass its target in November and December, which are traditionally considered as high collection months.
The Port of Manila posted the most dismal deficit at P21 billion, or 25 percent below target of P85.3 billion; followed by the Manila International Container Port with a deficit of P20 billion, or 13.1 percent below target of P158.6 billion.
The Port of Batangas collected 7.1 percent lower than its P136.7-billion target, followed by the Port of Cebu at 6.6 percent below its target of P28.3 billion and the Port of Davao at 9.8 percent below its P25.9 billion target.
Despite reforms to increase its collection, the bureau—the second biggest collection agency of the government—is still battling corruption issues, including the so-called “tara” system and technical smuggling.
The BOC said its revenue collection was also affected by the foreign-exchange variance from P55 to a dollar in 2018 to P52 to $1 in 2019 as well as the substantial decrease in the importation of oil, sugar and automobiles.
Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, the bureau has identified four barangays as smuggling hot spots.
Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr., BOC-Zamboanga district collector, identified the barangays as Arena Blanco, Mampang, Talon-Talon, and Campo Islam (Lower Calarian).
“We are done with the coordination [on smuggling] at sea. Now we focus on land,” Barte said.
Among the goods being smuggled into this city are rice, sugar, cigarettes, and other products coming from Malaysia.
Barte said the campaign will be jointly undertaken by his office with the Task Force Zamboanga and the local government. With PNA