Reshuffle of BoC officials raises eyebrows over non-inclusion of ‘Three Kings’

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs’ first major reshuffle of its top officials during the Aquino administration has raised eyebrows at the Department of Finance-attached agency due to the non-inclusion in the revamp of what BOC insiders refer to as the bureau’s “Three Kings.”

BOC personnel were referring to Collectors Ricardo Belmonte, Rogel Gatchalian and Carlos So, heads of the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and the ports of Manila and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), respectively.

Belmonte is a younger brother of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, while Gatchalian and So are said to be backed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and the influential Iglesia ni Cristo.

BOC personnel also noted that all three ports were among the 10 collection districts that had failed to meet their revenue targets for 2012.
Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, however, defended the BOC heads’ “reconfiguration,” saying that was his “discretion” being the bureau boss.
The revamp would be a “continuing thing,” claimed the former Muntinlupa City legislator and Liberal Party stalwart.
“This is just the initial phase of several other measures we shall undertake to meet our collection target for the year 2013,” which totals P340 billion, P7 billion less than the BOC’s goal in 2012.

Biazon emphasized the revamp was “geared mostly towards improving collections.”

“We are doing a reconfiguration of our organizational structure, especially among our frontline officials, to reposition our district collectors where they can be most productive,” he explained.

The BOC head warned he would “not hesitate to reassign or reshuffle Customs officials who may not be performing up to expectations.”

“We shall be closely monitoring the performance of frontline offcials…I will now do a quarterly performance assessment of district collectors and other unit heads under the Office of the Commissioner and set a particular quota for them, in addition to their revenue collection targets,” he told reporters.

Biazon also noted that “within the year, there will be some people who will be retiring. So as a matter of regular course, there will be some vacant positions. So definitely, we’ll be assigning or transferring people to other positions.”

• In the BOC Personnel Order No. B-14-2013, which Biazon issued on Jan. 10, among those reassigned were the following Customs officials:
•  Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang, head of the X-ray Inspection Project,
  has been named officer-in-charge of the Cagayan de Oro City port.
• Adelina Molina, chief of staff of the Office of the
  Commissioner, is now OIC of the Subic Freeport in Zambales.
• Roberto Sarmiento, deputy collector for operations to OIC of
  the Zamboanga City port.
• Ronnie Silvestre, Cebu district collector to OIC of the port of
  Clark International Airport.
• Edward dela Cuesta, Clark district collector to Cebu port collector.
• Carmelita Talusan, Subic Freeport collector to X-ray
  Inspection Project head.
• Filemon Mendoza Jr., chief of the Risk Management Office to
  Ruling and Research Division head.
• Romalino Valdez, chief of staff of the Assessment, Operations
  and Coordination Group to deputy collector for administration.
• Anju Nereo Castigador, Cagayan de Oro City district collector
  to the Office of the Commissioner.

Meanwhile, Biazon expressed confidence the bureau would meet collection goal this year, which he described as a “more reachable target.”

“We shall be adjusting our collection strategy every now and then to make the BOC responsive to present trends and needs,” Biazon added.

From January to December 2012, BOC revenues totaled only P287 billion, or a shortfall of nearly P60 billion.

The MICP, which had the highest revenue target of P94.3 billion, collected only P72.5 billion.

On the other hand, the port of Manila registered only P56.5 billion, about P18 billion short of its P75-billion goal.

Batangas port, where most of the oil depots are located, had a shortfall of a little more than P10 billion while the NAIA had a deficit of P4.66 billion.