Lapeña: BOC to relieve 90 percent of assessment unit heads

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña. PATHRICIA ROXAS/INQUIRER.net

In a bid to eradicate “tara” system at the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Commissioner Isidro Lapeña will relieve at least 90 percent of the heads of the assessment units in all ports of the country.

“Ninety percent… will be moved. I’m referring to the heads being the persons responsible in those sections,” Lapeña told reporters Thursday.

READ: Lapeña: Zero tolerance for corruption at BOC

According to BOC chief, the so-called “tara” system is reportedly being practiced mostly at the level of assessors and examiners of the bureau.

“I will move the heads first, the chiefs of those sections who have been identified. They are the ones who give value to the shipments. Some of them continue to do benchmarking. ‘Pag nag-benchmark, automatic ‘yun, it will be subjected to further investigation because nag-benchmark ‘yan most probably because of ‘tara,’” Lapeña said.

“Kapag yung hepe gumawa ng ganung transaction, malamang pati mga kasamahan diyan (If the chief commits those transaction, probably their subordinates) are also involved. Pero ang dictate niyan would come from the chief, from that section. Makikita naman sa (You can see it in the) computer data, computer printout. Yung mag benchmark diyan, the tara is there,” he added.

Benchmarking means imposing a discretionary value, instead of the correct valuation, on each container van shipped into the country.

Lapeña noted that the “tara” system or grease money paid by traders comes into play once a shipment has been benchmarked so that the processing of import papers will be expedited and the subsequent release of the goods without the required examination.

“I don’t have timeline but by Monday meron na yan,” he said when asked when he will relieve the BOC officials.

Asked why not just dismiss the supposedly corrupt heads of BOC assessment sections, Lapeña said: “We have the so-called due process.”

“This is a long process but it will be followed. The immediate remedy is to relieve them because relieving is under my authority,” he said.

“I can relieve anybody based on my assessment in the best interest of the service. But the invstigation will continue. If there is enough basis warranted they would be subjected to disciplinary action. And discliplnary action would include dismissal from the service, depending on the offense committed,” he added.

Lapeña said the deputies will takeover the post of the relieved assessment unit heads to ensure that trade operations at the ports will not be affected.

“The deputy could take over. That is why the heads will be replaced because he has a problem, it is affecting the revenue collection. Then we will see if the deputy performs better, he might become the head eventually. This should be a wake up call,” he said.

Lapeña earlier said that collecting the correct amount of taxes and duties on shipments and doing away with so-called “benchmarking” will make it possible for the bureau to hit its revenue target this year of P467.9 billion.

“That’s why I always say that it should be correct valuation, the government should be receiving what is due to the government in terms of tariff,” he said.

“We have to do away with benchmarking and strictly observe correct valuation of shipments. We will have this implemented strictly by our collectors, assessors, examiners,” Lapeña said.  /jpv

RELATED STORY

Lapeña dissolves BOC Command Center