Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto has directed all district collectors of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to uphold the integrity of the country’s borders and revenue collections.
Speaking at the BOC Collectors Conference in Mactan, Cebu, Recto said a porous border “punctures our coffers, creates revenue leaks, and takes away funds that should have been rightfully spent for the future of our people.”
The BOC is the Philippines’ second-largest revenue-collecting agency, tasked with raising P1.06 trillion this year, according to the government’s Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing. This is equivalent to roughly P3 billion a day.
Recto said P0.23 of every revenue peso and 17 centavos of every budget peso spent by the government are funded by the BOC.
“If all government activities under the sun carry a price tag, then 17 percent of each one of them will be paid by you,” he said.
He said revenue loss from 50,000 sacks of smuggled rice, amounting to P36.7 million, could buy 22,518 bags of fertilizer, while a smuggled Bugatti Chiron, with an estimated revenue loss of P168 million, could fund the construction of 84 classrooms.
Revenue loss from 50,000 liters of gasoline, at P789,000, could provide Jollibee breakfast meals for 12,725 children, said Recto.
Recto urged collectors to be accountable and to exercise integrity, adding that the Department of Finance (DOF) would fully support the BOC’s modernization and anti-corruption efforts.
He also called for the BOC to “think of creative solutions that will transform the Bureau into a truly world-class customs agency.”
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno outlined his directives for district collectors. These include conducting regular performance assessments, eliminating the “white paper culture” to ensure transparency and strengthening “Customs Care” operations.
Nepomuceno also mandated that the destruction of seized goods be thorough and complete, with all activities livestreamed on YouTube to build public trust. He also ordered constant assemblies and open communication channels to ensure timely reporting across all units.
