THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) said that through its intensified anti-smuggling operations to protect Philippine borders from smuggled goods, it was able to seize P15.65 billion worth of illegal goods from July to December 2022.
The top-valued commodities seized were illegal drugs (P10.2 billion); counterfeit products (P2.450 billion); agricultural products (P1.884 billion); cigarettes and tobacco (P457.763 million); and used clothing (P287.480 million).
In a statement, the BOC said it has made great strides in curbing illicit trade and strengthening trade facilitation and border control efforts under the leadership of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
“Curbing illicit trade will not only ensure that we don’t lose much-needed revenues, but more importantly, protect consumers from unregulated products that may potentially cause harm,” said Secretary Diokno.
The BOC was also able to enhance trade facilitation through the National Single Window (NSW) system, which allows those engaged in trade and logistics to store data on a single internet-based interface to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements.
With the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the BOC convened the NSW Summit 2022 which supported the call of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to streamline BOC processes through information and communications technology (ICT) solutions.
These efforts have resulted in faster processing of import and export documentation and increased trade compliance, transparency, as well as convenience, which addressed inefficiencies in the system.
Apart from these, the BOC was also able to internally cleanse and maintain the BOC’s integrity, where it successfully acted on erring employees and issued 24 show-cause orders.
The BOC reported that 175 individuals were already placed either under investigation or have undergone investigation as of the end of December 2022, five of which were slapped with administrative cases.
The statement also reported that the BOC, in order to maintain the quality of services, 17 offices and ports obtained and retained certification for the ISO 9001:2015 QMS.