Bureau of Customs (BOC) | FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence sector — the Intelligence Group (IG), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), and the X-ray Inspection Project — has already seized P30.86 billion worth of smuggled goods from January to August 2023.
In a statement on Monday, the BOC said Commissioner Bien Rubio lauded the three branches for the increase in the volume of seized smuggled goods, which is already P6 billion higher than the total tally for 2022.
“Their performances have led to a significant breakthrough in our fight against smuggling. The strengthened anti-smuggling operations spearheaded by these teams have yielded outstanding results,” Rubio said.
“(The intelligence group’s) commitment to protecting our borders (resulted in) the highest total amount of seized goods in the past five years,” he added. “Your drive to ensure trade integrity and safeguard our borders is commendable.”
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy meanwhile said that the achievements would not be possible without the hard work of their sector’s personnel.
“First, I’d like to thank Commissioner Rubio for giving due recognition to the hard work, commitment, and the many sacrifices of our people to fulfill our mandates. But these accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of the commissioner and the whole agency,” Uy said.
“So, as much as this recognition is for the intelligence group to enjoy, we would like to share it with everyone involved in helping us — from collecting the information against these smugglers to the actual operations. And while we make progress every day, this commendation also signals that more work needs to be done to end smuggling,” he added.
Over the past few months, BOC has ramped up its operations, resulting in the cordoning of warehouses or confiscation of items like smuggled raw food materials, agricultural items, used clothing, counterfeit products, fake cigarettes, undeclared fuel and even vehicles.
Last March 2023, BOC was able to confiscate P1.4 billion worth of cigarettes in Sulu, which was described as the biggest seizure made under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.