The Bureau of Customs surpassed its revenue collection target for the month of September 2020 by 33.17 percent or P12.511 billion.
This month, Customs collected P50.226 billion against its target of P37.715 billion despite the effect of COVID 19 to the overall trading environment and a stringent community quarantine.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport announced on Monday it had surpassed its P2.574 billion revenue target for the month of September by more than P582 million.
“For September, Port of NAIA again hit its goal and was able to collect P3.157 billion over the target of P2.574 billion with a surplus of P582 million or 22.6 percent percent,” NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan told Manila Standard.
Based on the preliminary report from the BOC-Financial Service, 14 of the 17 collection districts exceeded their target for the month: thw Ports of San Fernando, MICP, NAIA, Batangas, Cebu, Tacloban, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic, Clark, Aparri and Limay.
Customs has collected P397.514 billion since January, reflecting the 78.54 percent of the 2020 target collection of P506.150 billion.
The improved collection performance is attributed to the intensified collective effort of all ports, gradual improvement of importation volume and the government’s effort in ensuring unhampered movement of goods domestically and internationally considering the pandemic situation.
Despite this performance, the Bureau maintained its border security measures against undervaluation, misdeclaration and other forms of technical smuggling.
In August, NAIA was also able to surpass its P2.29- billion revenue goal for the month as it collected P2.86 billion, up by P562 million or 24.4 percent.
“This is on top of the many drug seizures of the Port of NAIA and the many interceptions of the port on illegal goods,” Talusan said.
She said the port remains committed in its drive to collect revenues and vigilant in its efforts to prevent smuggling and the commission of fraudulent and illegal acts.
The port was earlier commended for its vigilance in drug seizures. To date, it has busted more than 85 smuggled shipments of prohibited substance and other contraband.
Since January 2018, the Customs-NAIA seized a total of P747.6 million worth of illegal drugs: cocaine, shabu, cannabis and ecstasy, mostly smuggled from the United States, China and Europe.
The port has also been consistent in its interception of meat products from the African Swine Fever source country.
According to Talusan, the positive performance of the port in ensuring that proper and correct duties and taxes are assessed and collected from import shipments is essential in meeting the collection target.
“The frontliners of BOC-NAIA will continue to be vigilant in protecting our borders and support all the 10 point priority program of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero and we will continue to help in the anti-drug campaign of President Duterte,” she said.
Aside from NAIA, 13 other collection districts of the bureau also exceeded their targets for the month of September. They are the Ports of San Fernando, Manila International Container Port, Batangas, Cebu, Tacloban, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic, Clark, Aparri and Limay.
Based on the preliminary reports from the agency’s Finance department, the bureau collected a total of P50.226 billion, up by P12.5 billion or 33.17 percent against its target of P37.7 billion for September.
The improved collection performance is attributed to the intensified collective effort of all ports, gradual improvement of importation volume and the government’s effort in ensuring unhampered movement of goods domestically and internationally considering the pandemic situation.