Whew! Aquino lets Customs off easy

Bureau of Customs (BOC) insiders, some still smarting from President Benigno Aquino III’s 2013 State of the Nation Address (Sona) assailing the agency for the corruption of some personnel, heaved a sigh of relief when he did not slam them again in his final Sona.

Two BOC officials told the Inquirer they had not forgotten what Mr. Aquino said two years ago, which they said “made it appear all customs personnel were corrupt and incompetent.”

They lamented, however that in Monday’s Sona, the President failed to cite the positive developments, including an increase in customs monthly revenue collections.

Customs Commissioner

Alberto Lina yesterday said BOC officials had submitted their reports to Malacañang, “not only on our revenue collections but on the progress of our other programs.”

But “it’s OK if they were not included (in the Sona). What’s important is we continue to do our tasks, particularly meeting our targets,” he said.

Lina noted that in June, the BOC posted over P31.2 billion in revenue, exceeding its monthly target of P29.3 billion by 6.4 percent.

The June collection was P1.33 billion higher than for the same period in 2014.

In a phone interview, Lina expressed optimism the bureau “would continue to meet its monthly targets.”

“Starting September, we’ll be implementing the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. work schedule at the major ports,” including the Port of Manila, the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Cebu, he said.

“We hope to increase our monthly revenue collections and meet our annual target [of P436.4 billion],” he added. Jerry E. Esplanada