Customs optimistic of hitting collection target

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs said it is confident it can collect P91.33 billion in the remaining two months of the year to achieve its income target for 2021.

Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero yesterday said the agency has raised P525.37 billion as of end-October, exceeding by more than two percent its P513.2 billion goal for the period.

As such, he said Customs has to generate nearly P46 billion per month for the remainder of 2021 to reach its P616.7 billion target, which can be attained as global trade continues to recover from the pandemic.

In the 10 months to October, Guerrero said Customs contributed 3.4 percent to gross domestic product (GDP). Last year the agency’s share in GDP slid to three percent, from 3.2 percent in 2019 and 2018.

Guerrero said the agency confiscated P23 billion worth of smuggled goods from 743 operations executed during the period. The amount was more than doubled the P10.63 billion in value seized by the agency in 2020.

Further, the Customs chief said authorities filed before the Department of Justice 87 lawsuits for the smuggling of P695.1 million in imports.

The agency also revoked the licenses of 590 importers and 191 brokers found conniving in sneaking in counterfeit and illegal goods into the market.

Likewise, Guerrero said the Customs collected P1.41 billion in additional revenue by improving its post-clearance audit against importers, beating by roughly 16 percent the P1.22 billion raised from the same program for the whole of last year.