Customs hikes haul but still misses Sept target

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs missed its collection goal for September even as its total haul improved from the same period last year.

In a statement yesterday, the agency said it collected P34.23 billion last month, up 4.84 percent from P32.651 billion last year.

However, the figure was 6.67-percent below the P36.52 billion target set for the month. The data was based on final revenue collection report submitted to the Bureau of the Treasury.

Last week, Customs reported preliminary data showing it raised P33.002 billion last month against a target of P35.79 billion.

When asked why the month’s target changed, Customs public information and assistance division said the number of days of ports operation was changed to take into account holidays during the month.

“From 22 days, there were only 21 days used on the final data because of the September holidays,” the division said.

The Duterte administration lowered Customs’s 2016 target to P406 billion from P436 billion originally as part of its conservative assumptions.

Economic managers, including the Department of Finance, set the targets. The DOF oversees Customs and other revenue generating agencies.

For September, the bureau said more ports met their collection goals from just four in July and six in August. 

“Seven out of the 17 port districts in the country have exceeded their revenue collection targets for the month,” Customs said.

“This is the most number of ports that exceeded the monthly revenue collection target since commissioner Nicanor Faeldon took office,” it added.

The Manila International Container Port, the biggest in the country, led the list with P10.58 billion in revenues, above its P10.51-billion target.

Other ports that beat their targets were the ones in Clark in Pampanga, Zamboanga, Cebu, Iloilo, Batangas and Davao.