Towards credibility
cooperation of our stakeholders and partners.”
Aside from the 10-point priority program for 2020, which is only a continuation of some priority list items last year, there will also be new projects.
Number one in the priority list this year is the hiring and promotion of additional personnel to fill in the required manpower of the bureau. According to Guerrero, the BoC planned to hire or promote 1,000 more personnel.
Full automation of frontline transactions is also one of the top priorities that will be conducted by, among other initiatives, implementing the no-contact policy and constructing customer centers—initially in the POM—to allow the stakeholders to make transactions without going to collection districts.
Also, the BoC will focus this year on the improvement of its RMS which is, according to Guerrero, “the engine that drives many of the processes and transactions involving the bureau,” adding that the accuracy of their RMS “has greatly improved” and will be further developed through the acquisition of technology and better monitoring by and coordination between offices responsible for risk management.
Next in the priority list is implementing its modernization project with the help of the Washington- based lender World Bank. A feasibility study about the modernization project was already submitted and expected to be funded by a World Bank loan amounting to US$ 80 million. The budget will cover the improvement of the BoC’s capabilities through equipment acquisition, training and enhancement of systems and processes.
The BoC chief said he hopes the project would be approved in the first quarter of this year in order that the implementation could also start this year.
The BoC will also focus on the ISO certification of its units and offices as well as its compliance with the PGS, a holistic and collaborative framework for designing and executing roadmaps for the long-term reform
nof Philippine public institutions.
According to Guerrero, their quality management and efficiency will improve if they continue getting ports ISO certified.
The Port of Batangas is one of the first to be certified to ISO 9001: 2015. The Office of the Commissioner; the Management Information System and Technology Group; the ports of Davao, Manila and Cagayan de Oro; the subports of Dumaguete, Mactan and Iligan; and the Mindanao Container Terminal have all started applying for this certification.
The BoC also intends to pursue PGS compliance, targeting on passing the second stage this year and completing the program by the first quarter of 2021.
Enhancing trade facilitation is also one of the priorities of the bureau this year; and thus, the BoC will pursue the implementation of the AEO program. With this, stakeholders are undergoing seminars and trainings while other Customs personnel are preparing to have the system fully functional before the middle of this year.
Also part of improving trade facilitation is executing enhanced pre- arrival processing, advance ruling and all other Customs memorandum orders that took effect last year. The BoC is also rationalizing and streamlining its customs orders for the easy access of stakeholders.
Likewise, the BoC is reviewing its penalty regime as part of its efforts to improve compliance.
Other priorities include enhancing management and technical skills training for its personnel with the assistance of BoC’s international partners.
Increasing stakeholders’ engagement also a priority this year.
Finally, along with the intensification of efforts is the submission of a proposal to the Department of Budget and Management to carry out a restructuring program and establish a Customs Border Police Force, dedicated exclusively to protecting the country’s borders along the sea.
Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero handed certificates of recognition and plaques of service award to the BOC retirees and jubilarians who have served the bureau for decades. is