We have chance at fresh start, Biazon tells new deputies, staff

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon: Fresh start. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—“The old has gone. The new has come.”

Quoting a biblical passage from Corinthians, Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon welcomed Monday the agency’s five new deputy commissioners and asked the rest of its personnel to “take advantage of the opportunity for a fresh start” to reform the graft-ridden Bureau of Customs.

“With the influx of new leaders and the ongoing personnel movement, we have the power to change the bureau,” said the former Muntinlupa City representative during flag-raising rites at BOC headquarters in Manila’s South Harbor.

Biazon described as being all “up to the task, up to the challenge” newly appointed deputy commissioners Jessie Dellosa, Agaton Uvero, Ma. Edita Tan, Myrna Chua and Primo Aguas, and said that customs collections could expect a boost with the reforms to be introduced by the new officials.

But the customs chief did not provide details of the reform measures aside from saying that a blueprint of reforms was being finalized by the Malacañang appointees.

“With our new direction and the full support of President Aquino, we can have a fresh start and reach our goal,” Biazon said.

The agency could breach for the first time the P300-billion mark in its annual revenue collection by the end of this year, he said.

Dellosa, former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, was appointed head of the enforcement and intelligence groups.

Uvero, a lawyer as well as a customs and international trade expert, is in charge of the assessment and operations coordinating group.

Tan, a former finance assistant secretary, is deputy commissioner for the revenue collection monitoring group, while Chua, a former official at the Department of Budget and Management, is deputy commissioner for the internal administration group.

Aguas, who has over 35 years’ experience in information technology here and abroad, heads the management information systems and technology group.

Later in a news conference, Dellosa said he and the other deputy commissioners would “work together and help each other in reforming the Bureau of Customs.”

The President had given “general instructions on how to address the smuggling problem facing the bureau, collect proper revenues and enhance trade facilitation,” Biazon said.

“We can take advantage of the new team and their fresh mandate… We can use new ideas. We will give the deputy commissioners elbow room to lay out their own plans in line with the reforms we’re doing,” he added.

“The target imposed on us by the Development Budget Coordination Committee was P340 billion. But internally, breaking the P300 billion mark will already be a significant achievement,” Biazon said.