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Finance Secretary Ralph Recto ordered all district collectors of the Bureau of Customs to exercise accountability and integrity to prevent revenue leaks
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Recto also vowed DOF’s full support for BOC’s modernization and anti-corruption drive, urging collectors to continue condemnation activities to send clear warnings to smugglers
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Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno also laid down his marching orders to all district collectors, including the conduct of regular performance assessments, eradication of the “white paper culture” to ensure transparency in all transactions, and strengthening of Customs Care operations for efficient and consistent service
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto ordered all district collectors of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to exercise accountability and integrity to prevent revenue leaks, reminding them that every peso collected is a lifeline to government programs directly affecting Filipinos.
“The BOC is more than the landing point of trade in our country. It is also the starting point of our nation’s progress,” Recto said during BOC’s collectors conference on September 17 in Mactan, Cebu.
“Kaya mahalaga na mahigpit at tapat tayong nagbabantay. (It’s important to be strict.) For 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,” he added.
BOC is the second-largest revenue-collecting agency in the country, tasked to raise P1.06 trillion this year, or roughly P3 billion a day.
READ: BOC July 2025 collection overshoots target by 1.3%
That means 23 centavos of every revenue peso and 17 centavos of every budget peso spent by the government will be funded by the BOC, according to the Department of Finance (DOF), BOC’s mother agency.
Recto reminded BOC district collectors that their collection target is not a simple ledger entry, but the lifeline of programs that directly affect Filipino families.
Thus, DOF said the success of the government’s entire socioeconomic strategy hinges on the dedicated efforts of each BOC personnel in every section and in every port.
“Kapag may nakalusot na iligal, may hanapbuhay na nawawala; kapag may undervaluation, may silid-aralan na hindi natatapos,” Recto said.
(If there are smuggled goods, a corresponding job is lost; if there’s undervaluation, there’s a classroom that ends up unfinished.)
“That’s how crucial your job is for our people,” he added.
The DOF chief rallied BOC collectors to exercise accountability and integrity in guarding the nation’s coffers.
“Hinding hindi for sale ang integridad. (Integrity is not for sale.) So for those who try to hold the line with integrity — every single day — I stand even prouder with you,” he added.
Recto underscored the price of revenue leaks in the nation’s future, illustrating that revenue loss from 50,000 sacks of smuggled rice, amounting to P36.7 million, can buy 22,518 bags of fertilizer that can nurture 11.7 square kilometers of rice land.
A smuggled Bugatti Chiron, with an estimated revenue loss of P168 million, can fund the construction of 84 much-needed classrooms for public school students.
Revenue loss from 50,000 liters of gasoline, amounting to P789,000, can buy one Jollibee breakfast meal for 12,725 children under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Recto, meanwhile, also vowed DOF’s full support for BOC’s modernization and anti-corruption drive, urging collectors to continue condemnation activities that send a clear warning to smugglers that their days are numbered.
“I also urge you to think of creative solutions that will transform the Bureau into a truly world-class customs agency,” he added.
For his part, Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno also laid down his marching orders to all district collectors, including the conduct of regular performance assessments with accountability for those who fail to meet targets, the eradication of the “white paper culture” to ensure transparency in all transactions, and the strengthening of Customs Care operations to deliver efficient and consistent service.
He also directed that the destruction of seized goods must be thorough and complete, with all activities livestreamed on YouTube to reinforce public trust.
To further improve coordination, he mandated constant assemblies and open communication channels to ensure timely and accurate reporting across all units.
These directives, among others, are designed to fortify integrity, tighten accountability, and elevate the credibility of BOC in the eyes of the Filipino people, DOF said.
