Incoming customs chief Faeldon bares plans on reforms in BOC

Bureau of Customs. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DAVAO — The incoming chiefs of the country’s two biggest revenue-collection agencies plan reforms not only to shore up collections but also improve services.

Incoming Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon said they will fast-track computerization of customs processes, as well as remove compulsory utilization of brokerages, citing that “some unscrupulous brokers are using their services to smuggle commodities to the country.”

“We’ll see what the CMTA can do to aid us in the transition from compulsory to optional usage of brokerage,” Faeldon said, referring to the recently enacted Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

Also, Faeldon said they were looking at possibly extending the conduct of pre-shipment inspections. “We are doing that already on bulk and break-bulk but we want the containerized goods to be subjected to the shipment inspection. We want to pre-determine the quantity and quality of these commodities before they leave the ports of origin,” he explained.

Another reform initiative being eyed by Faeldon involved “coordinating with importing countries [to] give us more accurate, government-certified prices of commodities.”

To clamp down on corruption, Faeldon also plans to create a task force among employees who will be “embedded in the different sensitive posts in the BOC, to check whether there’s really existing corruption.” He said this task force will be formed on his first day in the job.

To decongest the sea ports in Manila, Faeldon will push for greater utilization of the ports of Batangas and Subic for southbound and northbound commodities, respectively. “I consider this a low-lying fruit that can be easily done as long as the traders will agree because they are the ones who will be affected,” he said.

Incoming Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Caesar Dulay, meanwhile, said they will review recent issuances made by outgoing BIR Commissioner Kim Henares. JE/rga

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