Beleaguered Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez on Wednesday said he intends to finish the year with the “highest tax collection in the history of [the] Bureau of Customs,” if he is still in his post by that time.
Alvarez also said that he had written to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima—who was the one who invited him to join the Aquino administration—for the finance chief to help explain his side to President Aquino.
Alvarez claimed that “vested interests” were out to get him because the reforms that he has started at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were hurting them.
Mr. Aquino earlier said that he intended to implement a major revamp at the BOC and put in place leadership that is “knowledgeable about the system but untainted”.
Alvarez said his two–page letter “and attachments” explained his side on the controversies at customs bureau and what he has accomplished there.
Accomplishment report
“I highlighted my performance based on the results of my 11–month stint so far on revenue collections, trade facilitation and efforts to curb smuggling,” he said.
He said it would be up to Purisima to decide what approach to take, whether to submit his letter to the President or to take Alvarez along with him to see Mr. Aquino.
“On my part, what is important for me is that I perform in my job and do what should be done. I should not be distracted by intrigues,” Alvarez said.
He said that when compared to the BOC collections from January to May 2010, the duties collected during the first five months of 2011 grew by P11.5 billion.
“We’re very happy with that because up to June last year, there were still duties on oil products. Now, there’s none and yet we still have this large increase in our tax collection,” Alvarez said.
“If we maintain this trend, my confidence level is high that we would surpass the 2010 tax collection by P30 billion. I expect that to be the highest tax collection in the history of Bureau of Customs,” he said.
The BOC collected P259 billion last year.
Alvarez said he also explained in his letter why the BOC did not participate in the raids conducted at the 168 Mall in Divisoria, despite the President’s orders that the agency join the Bureau of Internal Revenue in going after traders selling smuggled goods at the popular mall.
He said that he was given legal advice that a BOC raid on the mall would be illegal.
Alvarez said the congressional inquiry into the recent expose on smuggled cars had shown that the cars were smuggled long before he became customs commissioner.
“In our efforts to curb smuggling, I reported that so far we’ve filed 37 cases (against smugglers)and our total claims in terms of dutiable value is close to P53 billion,” he said.
New seizures
Also Wednesday, Alvarez presented to the media 16 container vans of Chinese–made ceramic tiles worth P16 million and a 2009 Volvo that was illegally imported from Jordan by a Bulgarian tourist.
He said the imported tiles arrived at the Manila International Container Port on May 29 on board two ships and were misdeclared by Condor Enterprises as “floor covering and carpet tiles.”
Condor Enterprises claimed that the shipment was only worth P4.4 million when the BOC value reference system showed that it was “actually worth more than P16 million,” said deputy customs commissioner Horacio Suansing.
Benjamin Laurel, president of the Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers Association, had tipped off customs officials about the shipment.
Alvarez said it was the third attempt to smuggle ceramic tiles in the last six weeks that the BOC had foiled.
The 2009 Volvo car, valued at P4 million, was illegally imported from Agaba, Jordan a month ago and consigned to Bulgarian tourist Plamen Veselinov Troanski. It did not have the needed permit from the Department of Trade and Industry.
Alvarez said he has ordered an investigation, in coordination with the Jordanian government, to see if the car is one of those carnapped vehicles being sold in the country.