Customs posts positive collection performance

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Customs in Cebu barely met its collection target for the month of June. It is, however, one of the six ports nationwide which have greatly contributed to the agency’s positive performance during the first two quarters of 2014.

The other ports are Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Subic, Aparri, and Davao.

BOC-Cebu posted a total collection of P1.02 billion last month as against its monthly target of P1.01 billion. Since January, it has already collected a total revenue of P6.49 billion or P33 million higher than its P6.16 billion combined target for the first six months of 2014.

 “By God’s grace plus of course, the stakeholders’ participation,” was the response of BOC-Cebu district collector Roberto Almadin when asked for his positive performance.

Conrado Abarintos, chief of the cash division, credited the positive collection to the construction sector. Abarintos said that bulk of its revenue collections came from the iron, steel, plastic, and wood imports.

Abarintos, who is also the officer-in-charge of the assessment division, said that coal importation as well as petroleum products also contributed to the BOC-Cebu’s meeting its target.

“In fact, eighty percent of our collection is from bulk cargoes not so much on containerized cargoes,” Abarintos added.

Abarintos likewise attributed the positive collection on the efficiency of the assessment personnel and the new system installed by Almadin.

For this month, Abarintos said BOC-Cebu is already close to hitting its P1.075 billion target with P700 million collections as of July 22. Cebu has an annual collection target of P12.5 billion.—(FREEMAN)