MANILA, Philippines—Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Napoleon Morales Tuesday said he would not follow in the footsteps of Sixto Esquivias IV, who resigned as commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue because of the BIR’s failure to meet targets, even as the customs bureau was also experiencing collection shortfalls.

Morales said he would not step down from his post just because the BOC failed to meet its collection goal for 2009, saying such an eventuality was beyond his control.

He said he would quit his post if President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who appointed him, would seek his resignation.

“I serve at the pleasure of the President,” he said.

Blame the recession

Morales noted that the global economic recession, which decreased trade and the movement of goods worldwide, was to be blamed for the BOC’s failure to meet the 2009 target.

Based on the programmed revenue goal, the BOC still has to collect P64.72 billion for October, November and December.

Total BOC cash collections for the nine-month period amounted to P165.39 billion compared with the target of P201.42 billion, Morales said.

“Revenue collections are hinged on import volume and value. Both are down, a case beyond my control,” he said.

Still a ‘performer’

The bureau said its total shortfall from January to September was P36 billion.

Despite the shortfall, the BOC is a “performer” compared with the BIR, Morales said.

Although there has been a decline in the importation of petroleum products and steel this year compared with that in 2008, the BOC is still P5.7-billion efficient based on computations made by the Department of Finance, Morales said.